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Researchers have developed a water cloaking concept based on electromagnetic forces that could eliminate an object's wake, greatly reducing its drag while simultaneously helping it avoid detection.
The idea originated at Duke University in 2011 when researchers outlined the general concept. By matching the acceleration of the surrounding water to an object's movement, it would theoretically be possible to greatly increase its propulsion efficiency while leaving the surrounding sea undisturbed. The theory was an extension of the group's pioneering work in metamaterials, where a material's structure, rather than its chemistry, creates desired properties.
Six years later, Yaroslav Urzhumov, adjunct assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Duke, has updated the theory by detailing a potential approach. But rather than using a complex system of very small pumps as originally speculated, Urzhumov is turning to electromagnetic fields and the dense concentration of charged particles found in saltwater.
Dean Culver, Yaroslav Urzhumov. Forced underwater laminar flows with active magnetohydrodynamic metamaterials. Physical Review E, 2017; 96 (6) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.96.063107
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday December 14 2017, @12:51PM (2 children)
A caterpillar drive, but turned inside out.
Good news for sub-chasers, the IR signature of this beast will be huge.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Thursday December 14 2017, @10:00PM (1 child)
They will probably be able to find a way to shield the IR emissions with a thick layer of water.
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(Score: 3, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Thursday December 14 2017, @11:20PM
Even a thick layer of water will show high magnitude anomalous heating... IR satellites are sensitive to small fractions of a degree change in temperature, and a big area with a 0.2C increase in surface - tracking in a given direction at a given speed, would be quite a giveaway.
🌻🌻 [google.com]