Skip to main content

Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

3 comments

The World's First Truly Programmable Metasurface Is Here & It Can Create Live Holograms Using Keyboard Commands

Imagine typing a letter on your keyboard and watching it instantly appear as a glowing hologram in midair. Or playing a holographic version of Snake or Tetris where every move is controlled by light itself. What once seemed like science fiction is now moving closer to reality.

Researchers at the University of Stuttgart have developed a groundbreaking programmable metasurface that can dynamically control light at the level of individual pixels. Unlike traditional optical devices that perform only one fixed function, this new technology can be reprogrammed in real time using simple electrical signals. The achievement could pave the way for next-generation holographic displays, smart wearable devices, advanced communication systems, and intelligent optical technologies.

The research, published in Nature Communications, marks an important milestone in the evolution of active metasurfaces.

What Is a Metasurface?

A metasurface is an ultra-thin optical material made up of millions of tiny nanostructures arranged on a flat surface. These nanostructures are much smaller than the wavelength of visible light and are carefully designed to control how light behaves.

Traditional optical components such as lenses and mirrors rely on their thickness, shape, and curved surfaces to bend or focus light. Metasurfaces work in a completely different way. Instead of changing the shape of the material, they manipulate light through nanoscale structures patterned across an incredibly thin surface.

This allows scientists to create optical devices that are lighter, smaller, and much more versatile than conventional optics.

From Static Optics to Smart Optical Devices

Although metasurfaces have revolutionized flat optics over the past decade, most existing devices still have one major limitation.

Once they are manufactured, their optical function is usually fixed. While some active metasurfaces can make small adjustments, they cannot independently control every pixel on the surface.

According to Professor Laura Na Liu, Director of the 2nd Physics Institute at the University of Stuttgart, the next generation of optical technology requires something much more advanced.

She explains that active metasurfaces can dramatically expand the capabilities of flat optics by allowing optical functions to be changed dynamically. However, achieving this requires scientists to independently control every optical pixel, especially for visible light.

That challenge has now been addressed by the Stuttgart research team.

A Metasurface That Can Be Programmed Like a Computer Screen

The researchers designed an innovative organic metadevice using electrically switchable conducting polymers combined with tiny gold nanoantennas.

Each tiny optical pixel can now receive its own electronic command.

This means every pixel can switch independently using electrical signals of less than one volt while responding within milliseconds. At the same time, neighboring pixels remain electrically isolated, preventing unwanted interference.

This independent control transforms the metasurface into something similar to a programmable digital display—but instead of controlling colored screen pixels, it controls the behavior of light itself.

Professor Liu describes this as a fundamental breakthrough.

She explains that independent addressability forms the basis of every programmable technology. By giving each optical pixel its own electronic address, metasurfaces become programmable photonic platforms capable of changing their optical functions instantly.

Typing on a Keyboard Creates Instant Holograms

To demonstrate the power of their invention, the researchers connected the metasurface to a complete electronic control system.

The results were impressive.

When users typed letters or numbers on a computer keyboard, the commands were immediately translated into holographic images projected by the metasurface.

Instead of displaying a fixed hologram, the system continuously updated the projected image according to the user's input.

This real-time interaction shows that holographic displays no longer need to remain static.

They can respond instantly to commands just like modern digital screens.

Playing Games With Holographic Light

The team pushed the technology even further.

Using a handheld game controller, researchers successfully played holographic versions of classic video games.

Games similar to Snake and a Tetris-inspired falling block game were projected as interactive holograms. Every movement of the controller immediately changed the holographic image displayed by the metasurface.

This demonstration proved that the system is not limited to displaying fixed patterns.

Instead, it creates a continuous interaction loop where users, electronics, and light work together in real time.

Dr. Xiangyu Huang, the study's first author, explained that one of the biggest engineering challenges was ensuring that each pixel switched rapidly while remaining electrically isolated from neighboring pixels.

Seeing holographic images instantly respond to user input confirmed that individually addressable metasurfaces can function as genuinely interactive optical devices.

Why This Technology Is So Important

Traditional optical components are designed for one specific task during manufacturing.

If you want a different optical function, you usually need to build an entirely new device.

The programmable metasurface changes that idea completely.

Instead of replacing hardware, users simply change the electronic signals controlling the pixels.

The same device can generate different holograms, manipulate light in new ways, or perform entirely different optical functions without any physical modifications.

This flexibility makes programmable metasurfaces much more powerful than conventional optics.

Future Applications Could Transform Multiple Industries

Although the current demonstrations focused on holographic images and simple games, the researchers believe the technology has far greater potential.

As larger arrays of pixels are developed and electronic control systems become even more advanced, programmable metasurfaces could transform many industries.

Possible future applications include:

  • Holographic displays that update instantly without bulky projection systems.

  • Advanced imaging systems capable of adapting to different viewing conditions.

  • Optical communication technologies that transmit information more efficiently.

  • Highly sensitive optical sensors for scientific and medical applications.

  • Wearable photonic devices such as lightweight augmented reality glasses.

  • Smart optical systems powered by artificial intelligence that automatically adjust their behavior in real time.

Because the entire platform is electronically programmable, one device could replace multiple specialized optical components.

A New Era of Intelligent Optics

The University of Stuttgart's research represents a major step toward making programmable optics a reality.

By successfully giving every optical pixel its own electronic address, scientists have shown that light itself can become interactive and responsive to human commands.

While commercial products may still take time to develop, the underlying technology opens exciting possibilities for future holographic displays, adaptive imaging, intelligent sensors, and wearable photonic devices.

Professor Laura Na Liu believes this is only the beginning. As independently addressable optical pixels continue to scale up, entirely new opportunities will emerge at the intersection of nanophotonics, electronics, and intelligent control.

In the future, programmable metasurfaces may become as common in optical technology as programmable computer chips are in modern electronics—bringing us closer to a world where light can be controlled, customized, and programmed on demand.

Reference: Huang, X., Renz, B., Hu, Y. et al. Interactively addressable organic metadevices. Nat Commun 17, 6251 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75757-4

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular

Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

For years, scientists believed that adding even one qubit (a unit of quantum information) to a black hole needed energy. This was based on the idea that a black hole’s entropy must increase with more information, which means it must gain energy. But a new study by Jonah Kudler-Flam and Geoff Penington changes that thinking. They found that quantum information can be teleported into a black hole without adding energy or increasing entropy . This works through a process called black hole decoherence , where “soft” radiation — very low-energy signals — carry information into the black hole. In their method, the qubit enters the black hole while a new pair of entangled particles (like Hawking radiation) is created. This keeps the total information balanced, so there's no violation of the laws of physics. The energy cost only shows up when information is erased from the outside — these are called zerobits . According to Landauer’s principle, erasing information always needs energy. But ...
3 comments
Read more

A New Type of Wormhole Could Slowly Become Stable Over Time, Scientists Suggest

For many years, wormholes have captured the imagination of scientists and science fiction fans. They are often shown as magical tunnels through space that can connect two faraway places in the universe. If wormholes really exist, they could one day make it possible to travel huge distances in a very short time. But there is one big problem—no one has ever found a real wormhole. They remain only theoretical objects predicted by the mathematics of Einstein's theory of general relativity. Even though they have never been observed, physicists continue studying them because they help us understand the limits of gravity and spacetime. Now, researchers Ditta and Channuie have proposed a new model of a time-dependent traversable wormhole . Unlike many earlier models, their wormhole is not completely still. Instead, it changes with time because energy flows through it. As this flow slowly fades away, the wormhole naturally becomes stable. Their study offers a new and simple way to understan...
Post a Comment
Read more

Black Holes That Never Dies

Black holes are powerful objects in space with gravity so strong that nothing can escape them. In the 1970s, Stephen Hawking showed that black holes can slowly lose energy by giving off tiny particles. This process is called Hawking radiation . Over time, the black hole gets smaller and hotter, and in the end, it disappears completely. But new research by Menezes and his team shows something different. Using a theory called Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) , they studied black holes with quantum corrections. In their model, the black hole does not vanish completely. Instead, it stops shrinking when it reaches a very small size. This leftover is called a black hole remnant . They also studied something called grey-body factors , which affect how much energy escapes from a black hole. Their findings show that the black hole cools down and stops losing mass once it reaches a minimum mass . This new model removes the idea of a “singularity” at the center of the black hole and gives us a better ...
Post a Comment
Read more