One of the most easily recognizable, yet mysterious structures in the world -- the Great Pyramid at Giza -- remains an ever-green subject of research and study. Scientists have now found that the structure of the largest pyramid at Giza actually channels electromagnetic energy down to its inner chambers all the way to its base.
Researchers say the builders of the pyramids might not have been aware of this property. "Applications of modern physical methods and approaches for investigations of pyramids' properties are important and productive," said the researchers in their research paper. "It could allow [us] to make new discoveries or get new information motivating new interests [in] the pyramids."
Electromagnetic radiation much like visible light, radio waves and even microwaves, is everywhere and all around the planet, constantly. Electromagnetic radiation is a vital part of everyday life, useful in the operation of microwave ovens and radio. WiFi is also a great example of electromagnetic radiation.
Researchers concluded that the pyramids were, in fact, concentrating electromagnetic waves after running a few tests to find out just how the pyramids reacted to electromagnetic waves by first estimating how resonance might be induced, notes a report by Science Alert.
"We had to use some assumptions," says Andrey Evlyukhin, from ITMO University in Russia. "For example, we assumed that there are no unknown cavities inside, and the building material with the properties of an ordinary limestone is evenly distributed in and out of the pyramid."
Researchers then went on to make a model pyramid including its electromagnetic responses. Researchers were able to estimate exactly how the Great Pyramid would respond to wave energy by calculating the "extinction cross section". Using this value, they calculated how wave energy is absorbed or scattered by the pyramid.
Researchers then found that scattered electromagnetic radiation was concentrating in internal chambers and under its base. "By choosing a material with suitable electromagnetic properties, we can obtain pyramidal nanoparticles with a potential for practical application in nanosensors and efficient solar cells," says Polina Kapitanova, an associate at the Faculty of Physics and Engineering of ITMO University.
As to how the ancient Egyptians, several thousand years ago were able to channel radio waves into the burial chambers, no one really knows. Notwithstanding the alien conspiracy theorists and self-proclaimed time travellers who claim that the Giza Pyramids were alien structures, the researchers of the paper insist that this property of the pyramids is most likely a happy accident than a design feature.
The paper was published in the Journal of Applied Physics.
