This is a so-called dielectric mirror, which reflects almost 100% of the light that falls on it.

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Dr van Dover thinks that the electronics industry's demands for new materials a dielectric here, a magnetic-recording medium there are fairly few.

ECONOMIST: Combinatorial chemistry

In particular, he would like to discover one in which the change is from a conductor to a dielectric, or vice versa.

ECONOMIST: Optoelectronics

It works by using a power source to pump 10 kV of juice to an electrode, which then polarizes a dielectric plate, causing it to attract your body hair.

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Research opportunities include research in the areas of compact energy storage and pulsed power, aerothermal protection systems for flight vehicles, high-strength and dielectric structural materials, and system interfaces between high-power loads and platform power distribution networks.

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Groaningly titled SPUDS (Synthetic Personnel Using Dielectric Substitution), the tubers apparently replicate how airborne signals are bounced and absorbed by real-life passengers, but without the need for Boeing to offer complimentary snacks or tiny drinks during testing.

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The paper thus acted as the dielectric between the components of each transistor, as well as being the substrate for the circuit, in the same way that the base of a silicon chip acts both as substrate and as dielectric.

ECONOMIST: A new use for a common material