If materials are subject to the laws of physics…

[exatron]

Does that mean metamaterials are subject to the laws of metaphysics?

Scientists in Germany have managed to create material with a negative refractive index. The new material may be useful for creating an invisibility cloak.

Comments

[nekura-ca.livejournal.com]

Refractive index indicates more how the light bends then exactly how much it bends, it all depends on the angle of the incoming light as well. A refractive index equal to one indicates that there is no bending, higher then one means that the bends away from the normal (which can lead to total reflexion), and less then one bends it towards the normal. Negative indexes would bend it back beyond the normal. Some real interesting stuff should happen when the index exceeds -1.

You are kind of correct though, for index X, if the resultant angle is Y from the norm, index -X would result in an angle that is Y from the norm, on the other side, so effectively -Y. If that makes sense. ^_^