“Since the light bounces back and forth inside the magnet, interactions are genuinely enhanced,” CCNY’s Florian Dirnberger, the lead-author of the study, said in a press statement. “To give an example, when we apply an external magnetic field the near-infrared reflection of light is altered so much, the material basically changes its color. That’s a pretty strong magneto-optic response.”

That’s really neat. Maybe this can lead to actual active camouflage. Still early days though so who knows.