Definition of "nanoantenna" [nanoantenna]

• A nanoscale antenna-like structure for sending and transmitting electromagnetic waves. (noun)

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• "The technique involves the embedding of square spirals of conducting metal onto a sheet of plastic, each of which, referred to as a “nanoantenna,” just 1/25 the diameter of a human hair."
• "Due to their size — each interlocking spiral nanoantenna is as wide as 1/25 the diameter of a human hair — the nanoantennas absorb energy in the infrared part of the spectrum, just outside the range of what is visible to the eye."
• "Although infrared rays create an alternating current in the nanoantenna, the frequency of the current switches back and forth ten thousand billion times a second — much too fast for electrical appliances, which operate on currents that oscillate only 60 times a second."