The Cloaking Device from Star Trek

[CuriousGuy2024]

TL;DR Summary: How does a cloaking device work? How can a cloaked ship be detected?

Working on a Sci-Fi story and wondering if a cloaking device is even possible (based on current understanding of physics). As you recall in Star Trek, the enemy had to uncloak before firing (not sure why but it made for a great story). So, presuming a device can be invented which will bend light in space, can it be detected by ultraviolet, infrared, a continuous variable array of light, or some other method? I realize I can make up something but prefer to make it at least a little credible.

 

[fresh_42]

There are some achievements with certain wavelengths, materials, and objects ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloak_of_invisibility#In_science
... that make headlines from time to time.

A cloaking device to hide an entire ship could theoretically be made if the frequencies of the detecting devices are known so that one doesn't have to grant invisibility on the whole spectrum:

It's not yet clear that you're going to get the invisibility that everyone thinks about with Star Trek cloaking device or the Harry Potter's cloak. To make an object literally vanish before a person's eyes, a cloak would have to simultaneously interact with all of the wavelengths, or colors, that make up light.

 

[Rive]

I realize I can make up something but prefer to make it at least a little credible.

IMHO closest to a 'cloaking device' on the 'little credible' line would be some kind of adaptive skin, with luminosity/texture/properties calculated according to the position of the observer.
The observer might try to find the limits of the capabilities of the adaptive skin: delay, calculation limits, wavelengths, angles.

You may use 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) - Hallway Projection Scene' as a reference.

Bending light is not in line with 'at least a little credible'.

 

[sophiecentaur]

Working on a Sci-Fi story and wondering if a cloaking device is even possible

You're allowed all sorts of stuff in SciFi. The better the story then the less fussy we are about the "science". I was always impressed how Azimov just bulldozed through huge technical objections by having such ecxcellent story lines and characters.

There are many ways of partial cloaking from radar and sight. Stealth shapes on ships and aircraft are very effective at reducing a target cross section. It's such a clever idea just to have flat sides to produce specular reflections away from the direction of the enemy. That technology dades back to the 50s, even.
Absorbent surfaces can reduce reflections greatly but they still leave a 'hole / silhouette' where the target is.

Read the Wiki article in the above link. It's interesting and could provide some ideas for your story, if you want to drop the occasional bit of pukka knowledge in there.

 

[Vanadium 50]

You are going to have a harder time making sense of this than most Star Trek inventions. Ships in Star Trek patrolling a quadrillion mile boundary get within a mile of each other before firing - hence the need for near-total invisibility. That's just Hollywood.

Even today's navies don't do that.

 

[Flyboy]

Cloaking devices were introduced to Star Trek to provide a scenario similar to submarine combat as commonly seen in Hollywood at the time. It was an easy to understand connection/analogy for viewers. Even compared to modern submarine warfare, it’s an antiquated concept.

I would argue strongly for stealth instead of full cloaking. It adds drama and challenge, as you stand a larger chance of getting detected the closer you get. On the other hand, it also provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate how competent/skilled your hero ship’s crew is by either detecting a stealth ship early, or by flying their stealth ship in remarkably close. Cloaks are just a cheat code.

 

[russ_watters]

Ships in Star Trek patrolling a quadrillion mile boundary get within a mile of each other before firing - hence the need for near-total invisibility. That's just Hollywood.

Even today's navies don't do that.

You'd think maybe they would learn to turn off the running lights and close the shades. And that giant flood light shining on the 200' wide hull number? I mean, c'mon.

Radar can be defeated by stealth, but visibility in space can be defeated by the color black.