mrdrrobots

As someone who works at a DoD FFRDC, I can confirm this is true. Matlab is the language of choice for 95% of my colleagues who have no CS or programming background, the other 5% is Labview. They write spaghetti code to get the job done. I’ve been scolded for using Python or Julia in programs because no one else can use it/understand it. I’ve wasted hours setting Python environments up for people which is especially hard due to strict firewall rules. Even once it is setup, it is usually to run some script the found on the internet, if it doesn’t do exactly what they need, they give up and move on. Matlab on the other-hand is a one click install with all the packages pre-installed.

(1863)

It’s theoretically possible; this is a very active field of research.

This was designed for the mid-IR (5.2um). I don’t recall its bandwidth but is was small on order of 100nm. The dispersion of this material in the mid-IR is relatively flat. There is active research on dispersion engineering via more complex geometry of the ‘meta-atoms’ to broaden the bandwidth for achromatic metalens optics. Other research is actively looking to design materials that could have this phase change functionality in the visible wavelength range. All stable phase change materials to my knowledge strongly absorb in the visible range.

Define ‘move’. All matter ‘moves’ on some scale even at absolute zero temperature.

We actually engineered the material specifically for its optical/IR behavior. See: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12196-4

Co-author here, Not a binary zone plate.

Co-author here: link to the journal article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21440-9