Its elements can separately absorb the electric and magnetic components ?

[mutatron]

I read about a metamaterial today that can separately absorb the electric and magnetic components of an electromagnetic wave,

A team of scientists from Boston College and Duke Univ. ... used computer simulations based on prior research findings in the field to design resonators able to couple individually to electric and magnetic fields to successfully absorb all incident radiation, according to their findings.

Because its elements can separately absorb the electric and magnetic components of an electromagnetic wave, the "perfect metamaterial absorber" created by the researchers can be highly absorptive over a narrow frequency range.
​

How is that possible? In an electromagnetic wave, a changing electric field produces a magnetic field and vice versa, or so I thought. Is this article true or is it a science reporting error?

 

[Vailanor]

The article is correct. Metamaterials are materials that are designed to interact with electromagnetic waves in a specific way. In this case, the metamaterial was designed to absorb the electric and magnetic components of the wave separately, which is possible because the two components have different properties. The metamaterial utilizes resonators that are able to couple individually to the electric and magnetic fields, allowing them to be absorbed separately. This allows for a more efficient absorption of the electromagnetic wave.

 

[astrokreng]

It is possible for a metamaterial to separately absorb the electric and magnetic components of an electromagnetic wave through careful design and engineering of its resonators. This is due to the unique properties of metamaterials, which are artificial materials designed to have properties not found in nature. In this case, the resonators are designed to selectively interact with either the electric or magnetic fields, allowing for separate absorption of each component. While it may seem counterintuitive, this is possible due to the complex interactions between the electric and magnetic fields in an electromagnetic wave. The findings presented in the article are based on computer simulations and prior research, so it is likely that they are accurate. However, as with any scientific discovery, further research and experimentation will be needed to fully understand and utilize this technology.