A nanostructured optical device built from alternating layers of metal and dielectric to form an anisotropic metamaterial. It converts high-spatial-frequency evanescent waves into propagating waves, magnifying sub-wavelength features so they can be resolved by standard far-field optics. This allows imaging objects much smaller than the Rayleigh criterion dictates.
By depositing a cylindrical hyperlens directly onto the sample substrate, we resolved features down to 40 nanometers using visible light.
Related terms
Evanescent
Describing an electromagnetic wave that decays exponentially rather than propagating.
Rayleigh's resolution limit
The minimum separation required between two point sources for an optical system to distinguish them as separate.
Nanoscopy
Optical imaging techniques that resolve features smaller than the diffraction limit of light.