The History of the Discovery of Metamaterials

Professor Sir John Pendry and Professor David Smith

Abstract:

Metamaterials are structures comprised of subwavelength elements that result in electromagnetic properties and phenomena not found in nature. This includes a negative index of refraction leading to innovative materials such as "superlenses" with subwavelength resolution and "invisibility cloaks." The birth of metamaterials occurred at the turn of the century when Professor Sir John Pendry, at Imperial College London, theoretically introduced split ring resonators (SRRs) which exhibit a negative effective permeability. This was followed by the experimental demonstration, at UC San Diego, by Professor Sheldon Schultz and Professor David Smith that periodic arrays of SRRs and continuous wires exhibit a negative refractive index. These discoveries resulted in the explosive growth across the globe of fundamental and applied metamaterials research (spanning from microwave to visible wavelengths) that continues to this day. In this colloquium, Professor Pendry and Professor Smith will present their recollections of the discovery of metamaterials and the impact of metamaterials on science and technology during the past quarter century.

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