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New Form of Modulation?

08/16/2025 9:44 PM

In the last few years I have read several articles about some new materials that supposingly can block all EM radiation. This is quite amazing, for many years this was thought to be impossible.

This can have great effect on how we construct circuits. Being able to completely shield EM fields.

Many of these materials can be applied like a paint or a film. This has made for many other functions with these materials. The amount of blockage with this material can be controlled with a small current thru the material. It can switch and dim the effect. Applying this to paint, the stress on a bridge or a building can be monitored in real time. Along with the starting points for corrosion.

And, when we can achieve a vacuum container free of matter, this will allow the absence of field also…..a true region absent of mass or field. A very singular and unique environment. Some say an impossible environment.

But my question for this thread is a little more practical. Lets construct a thin film cylinder a few inches away from a AM broadcast antenna. Apply steady carrier to antenna. Now audio modulate the film.

Would this produce a single carrier that varied in strength? One raising and lowering line on the spectrum, without side bands?

What you you think would happen? Without the electrical beating.

Could we modulate one skinny signal? Would CW from such a setup, have a bandwidth?

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#1

Re: New Form of Modulation?

08/17/2025 6:41 AM

Vanta Black is the darkest material ever invented. It is created by aligned carbon nanotubes. It absorbs over 99% of the light that strikes it. If you were in a room surrounded by Vanta Black walls, a flashlight would be on no use except of a few feet directly in front of you. It would never reach the walls, or at least you would not know if it did. I am sure they are working on other frequencies as well, like radar absorbing coatings.

https://youtu.be/BkGHwrq2Eho

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#2
In reply to #1

Re: New Form of Modulation?

08/17/2025 7:01 AM

Looks like they have improved it to be even better:

https://youtu.be/JoLEIiza9Bc

Yes, it would make a heck of a solar cell, or a heat absorber in a very cold climate, like Antarctica, help keep snow from accumulating on research facilities.

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#3

Re: New Form of Modulation?

08/17/2025 2:49 PM

But my question for this thread is a little more practical. Lets construct a thin film cylinder a few inches away from a AM broadcast antenna. Apply steady carrier to antenna. Now audio modulate the film.

Would this produce a single carrier that varied in strength? One raising and lowering line on the spectrum, without side bands?

I'm guessing what you have in mind -- an antenna coaxial with a conductive cylinder. You have a CW carrier on the antenna and you apply a signal to the cylinder.

What would happen is the signal on the cylinder would couple into the antenna, adding to the CW signal present, no modulation, just two signals.

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#4

Re: New Form of Modulation?

08/17/2025 3:37 PM

Imagine a clear plastic umbrella on top of an AM broadcast ant. And the sides of the umbrella droop down around the ant, like a plastic cylinder about 1 foot away from the ant.

Normally, when we switch the ant on and off at 1000 Hz, side-bands are created. We can detect those side bands with a diode beating with the carrier. AM detection.

But if we leave the carrier on, and modulate it, AFTER it is emitted, with a shield, like a blinker, or a blanket, would the received signal have side bands?

The film modulation current is very small and does not leave the film. It only “darkens” the film.

So, if no side bands, how would we detect it?

If we could achieve very high blink rates, the carrier inefficiency might be worth it, for the reduction in bandwidth.

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#5

Re: New Form of Modulation?

08/17/2025 4:28 PM

I don't fully understand the configuration, but this doesn't sound like a new form of modulation. It sounds like a novel method for amplitude modulation.

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#6

Re: New Form of Modulation?

08/17/2025 6:01 PM

Think of a prophylactic or a latex rubber that is put over the antenna. Instead of modulating the power going into the antenna for AM, we set the carrier constant, and the power emitted is modulated by the “screen” or dimness of the rubber. There is no power change in the emission, the power change is after emission, with the rubber.

One single frequency, that varies in strength, with this “filter” effect. A one frequency filter.

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