Polar bears have solar hairs. And that could be good news for homeowners and the military. ANIMAL SCIENCE

BELIEVE it or not, polar bears - the great big furry nomads of the Arctic - may hold secrets to state-of-the-art solar energy research. Scientists at Northeastern University here have discovered that the white fur of polar bears converts the sun's ultraviolet rays into useable heat with 95 percent efficiency. This ``polar-solar'' phenomenon of converting sunlight into heat is unmatched by even the most expensive and sophisticated man-made solar collectors, which have a maximum efficiency conversion of 65-70 percent (on a cold winter day, their efficiency is closer to 20 percent).

Scientists trace this efficiency to the fact that polar bear fur is hollow and acts as a sort of tunnel through which light passes from the tip of each hair down to the bear's black skin, where it is mysteriously converted into heat. According to researchers, the hairs act in much the same way as optical fibers now used in telephone transmission lines.

Basic polar-solar principles have undergone some preliminary testing in rooftop solar panels, resulting in a dramatic 50 percent increase in collection efficiency. Such improvements could spur a major change in solar energy research while making solar heating an viable alternative for homeowners.

Solar panels work like greenhouses. When sunlight hits a solar panel, heat is trapped between the bottom-layer collector plate and a translucent top-layer retainer plate. Then the heat is either fanned off and collected or it warms some kind of liquid. By putting pelt-like fibers between the collector and retainer plates, scientists have reduced heat loss dramatically.

Utilizing polar-solar principles could also eliminate the need for large storage capacity, which current solar panels need during periods of overcast weather. Polar-solar panels capture the sun's ultraviolet rays, which are not blocked by clouds, thereby allowing the panels to collect solar energy even on overcast days.

How did anyone get close enough to a lumbering, iceberg-hopping polar bear to find out about their furry phenomenon?

An unusual wildlife report by a group of Canadian scientists aroused the curiosity of Richard Grojean, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern University and technical director for the school's new Center for Electro-Magnetic Research. The report said that Canadian scientists could not get population estimates of polar bears by aerial photography or infrared photography.

Traditional photography proved futile because polar bears blended right in with their snowy surroundings. Infrared cameras, which can detect warm-blooded animals, also failed because the polar bears' fur insulates their body heat so effectively that almost no outside heat could be detected, according to Dr. Grojean.

The Canadians were finally able to track the bears by using ultraviolet photography, which registers shortwave, the invisible rays at the end of the light spectrum. The position of the animals could be seen because the snow reflects 90 percent of the sun's ultraviolet rays while the polar bear pelts absorb them.

Grojean was fascinated by the fact that polar bears virtually vanish under an infrared lens. He discovered that each white polar bear hair is actually transparent, with an inner hollow core about one-third the diameter of the hair. In this core, ultraviolet light is scattered, and by some unknown mechanism is converted into heat.

Grojean said the hair is ``wavelength selective,'' choosing to absorb shortwave, or ultraviolet, light and reflect light with wavelengths toward the middle of the spectrum. This reflection is what makes the bear's fur appear white when it is actually clear.

In addition to solar panel improvements, Grojean's research could also yield new arctic-weather uniforms for the military. Instead of the traditional multilayered garb, which is bulky and retains body moisture, Grojean says that wearing an outer covering that employs the energy conversion technique of polar bear pelts would be warmer and much more comfortable.

Grojean and his colleagues at Northeastern, Gregory Kowalski and Charles DiMarzio, have launched a detailed study of the polar-solar phenomenon and are seeking funding from several groups, including the United States Department of Energy. Once funding is available and the mechanics of the polar-solar effect are found, prototypes of revolutionary solar collectors could be available within five years, Grojean said.