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One tiny trick just broke light’s oldest rule — and changed optics forever

Researchers have cracked a fundamental optical challenge: how to control both angle and wavelength of light independently—a problem that’s limited imaging and display technologies for years. By harnessing the power of radiation directionality and engineering bilayer metagratings with unique symmetry properties, they’ve decoupled these two variables for the first time. Their precise nanofabrication techniques allow for ultra-flat, highly aligned structures that selectively reflect light only at specific angles and wavelengths. This breakthrough could revolutionize AR/VR displays, spectral imaging, and even optical computing, giving unprecedented control over light in compact devices.

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