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Letter

Nature Materials 5, 93–96 (1 February 2006) | doi:10.1038/nmat1568

Achieving centimetre-scale supercollimation in a large-area two-dimensional photonic crystal

Peter T. Rakich , Marcus S. Dahlem , Sheila Tandon , Mihai Ibanescu , Marin Solja|[ccaron]|i|[cacute]| , Gale S. Petrich , John D. Joannopoulos , Leslie A. Kolodziejski & Erich P. Ippen

Diffraction, a fundamental process in wave physics, leads to spreading of the optical beams as they propagate. However, new photonic crystal (PhC) meta-materials can be nano-engineered to generate extreme anisotropy, resulting in apparent propagation of light without diffraction.