Scientists have made an object disappear with this practical invisibility cloak

Do not expect to hear about an invisibility cloak like the one from the Harry Potter series any time soon, but scientists from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) have officially made an object disappear using  a practical cloaking device that allows curved surfaces to appear flat to electromagnetic waves.

The team used a composite material with nano-size particles capable of enhancing specific properties on the object’s surface.

This demonstration could lead to a step-change in how antennas are tethered to their platform. It could allow for antennas in different shapes and sizes to be attached in awkward places and to a plethora of different materials.

“The design is based upon transformation optics, a concept behind the idea of the invisibility cloak,” said Yang Hao, Profesor from QMUL’s School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science. “Previous research has shown this technique working at one frequency. However, we can demonstrate that it works at a greater range of frequencies making it more useful for other engineering applications, such as nano-antennas and the aerospace industry.”

How they did it

First the researchers coated a curved surface with a nanocomposite medium that comprised seven distinct layers in which the electric property of each layer varies depending on the position. This kind of structure is capable of hiding an object that would normally cause the wave to be scattered.

This new design approach has a wide applications, from microwave to optics, for the control of any kind of electromagnetic surface waves.

“The study and manipulation of surface waves is the key to develop technological and industrial solutions in the design of real-life platforms, for different application fields,” said Dr. Luigi La Spada, also from QMUL’s School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science. “We demonstrated a practical possibility to use nanocomposites to control surface wave propagation through advanced additive manufacturing. Perhaps most importantly, the approach used can be applied to other physical phenomena that are described by wave equations, such as acoustics.”

The team believes that its work can have a great industrial impact.