Invisibility cloak with photonic crystalsMetamaterials made from metal elements initially proposed f

Invisibility cloak with photonic crystals

Metamaterials made from metal elements initially proposed for constructing invisibility cloaks, did not solve some important cloaking problems.

There are three challenges remaining. The first is controlling anisotropy – the variable behavior of propagating waves in different directions of the cloak medium. It’s also important to make sure that the cloak materials can operate at microwave and optical wave frequencies. Finally, researchers have to decrease losses that restrict the size of hidden objects.

Elena Semouchkina, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and her graduate students have developed several novel approaches to making invisibility cloaks more practical. Their latest work, published in a special issue of Journal of Optics on transformation optics, looks at a promising new way to manipulate electromagnetic waves to make objects appear invisible. The team developed an approach using photonic crystals.

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