Smith Finalist for World Technology Network Award

5 December 2010

David Smith has been selected as a finalist in the World Technology Network's World Technology Awards, in the category of Materials: Individual. The awards are given to those who "...are doing the innovative work of 'the greatest likely long-term significance' in their fields. View the winners and finalists here.

Duke Cloak Featured on Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention

7 November 2009

The Duke "invisibility cloak" was featured on Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention, a BBC series highlighting inventors and invention. Sir John Pendry is interviewed about the conception and operation of the cloak on the episode "Come to Your Senses," which aired on BBC1 at 7:30 pm, November 24. Information about the program can be found here.

Smith Selected by Thomson Reuters as a Citation Laureate for 2009

24 September 2009

David R. Smith, along with Sir John Pendry from Imperial College and Sheldon Schultz from U. C. San Diego, have been selected among the twenty-five "Thomson Reuters Citation Laureates" for 2009. The Citation Laureates are recognized for their contribution to the advancement of science. Since 2002, 15 Citation Laureates have gone on to win Nobel Prizes. The Citation Laureates typically rank among the top one-tenth of one percent of researchers in their fields, based on citations of their published papers over the last two or three decades. View the physics laureates here.

Transformation Optics for Reducing Lens Profile

5 September 2009

In a paper published in Optics Express (September 14, 2009 issue), Dan Roberts and co-authors illustrate the use of the transformation optical approach to reduce the profile of a lens or other optical device. Though the gradient index materials specified by the transformation may render the reduction difficult to achieve in practice, the results nevertheless show the potential of applying the transformation optical technique to improve conventional devices in unconventional ways.

Transformation Optics MURI Awarded

20 June 2009

A joint team led by Duke University has been awarded a Multiple University Research Initiative on the topic of Transformation Optics. The award is sponsored by the Army Research Office (ARO), and includes team members from Purdue University, UC Berkeley, NC State University and Imperial College, London.

The kickoff meeting will be held on July 27 at Duke University.

Electromagnetic source transformations: Cover story in Applied Physics Letters

11 May 2009

Transformation optics can be used to design media with unique properties for the manipulation of electromagnetic waves. The transformation optical approach can be used not only to control the path of light, but also to change the way that currents and charges (or sources) behave when they interact with light. The interaction of electromagnetic waves is fundamental in the design of antennas. In the latest issue of Applied Physics Letters, Jeffery Allen and colleagues demonstrate several examples of transforming space in the presence of sources to make interesting radiating structures.

Dan Roberts wins Hertz Fellowship for postgraduate study in the physical sciences

11 May 2009

Dan Roberts was awarded a Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Fellowship. The Hertz Fellowship is merit based and widely considered to be one of the most prestigious graduate fellowships awarded. The fellowship provides approximately $250,000 of support over a five year tenure. One of the goals is to provide financial independence for fellows, allowing them to pursue innovative research as per their own interests. Dan will defer his fellowship for two years to study in the UK as a Marshall Scholar.

Smith lab featured in Wall Street Journal

13 March 2009

Our work is featured in a story published in the Science Journal of the Wall Street Journal. The story, "Behold the Appearance of the Invisibility Cloak," is by Robert Lee Hotz and can be found here.

Feature story in Discover Magazine

10 March 2009

An extensive article regarding metamaterials, by Fred Hapgood, has been published in the April issue of Discover Magazine. "Metamaterial Revolution: The New Science of Making Anything Disappear," describes a brief history of metamaterials and includes discussion of our most recent work. See the article here.

Cloaking mentioned on The Tonight Show

19 January 2009

Our work on cloaking mentioned in Jay Leno's monologue on The Tonight Show!

Broadband cloaking with new metamaterial structure

15 January 2009

Our most recent experiment confirms that objects on a mirror--or ground plane--can be hidden from detection by a metamaterial 'cloak.' The latest work, based on a theoretical prediction by Li and Pendry, illustrates some of the progress that has been achieved over the last two years of research (published in Science, January 16, 2009).