David R. Smith
Encyclopedia
David R. Smith is a renowned American
physicist
and professor
of electrical
and computer engineering
at Duke University
in North Carolina
. Smith's research focuses on electromagnetic
metamaterial
s, or materials with a negative index of refraction. As a graduate student at the University of California San Diego Smith and his colleagues, working in the laboratory of Professor Sheldon Schultz, discovered the first material that exhibited a negative index of refraction. Smith, along with four European researchers, for research in mematerials, was awarded the Descartes Prize
in 2005, the European Union
's top prize for collaborative research. He is known also as the first person to create a functioning cloak of invisibility
that renders an object invisible in microwave wavelengths. Although the cloaking device had limited ability to conceal an object from light of a single microwave wavelength, the experiment was an initial demonstration of the potential of metamaterial
s, constructed composite materials with unusual optical properties, to behave in unique ways because of both their chemical and structural properties.
Smith obtained a Ph.D.
in physics from the University of California San Diego in 1994. In 2009 Reuters
news service listed Smith as a potential Nobel
laureate in physics.http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS37530+24-Sep-2009+PRN20090924
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physicist
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of electrical
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
and computer engineering
Computer engineering
Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. Smith's research focuses on electromagnetic
Electromagnetic spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. The "electromagnetic spectrum" of an object is the characteristic distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by that particular object....
metamaterial
Metamaterial
Metamaterials are artificial materials engineered to have properties that may not be found in nature. Metamaterials usually gain their properties from structure rather than composition, using small inhomogeneities to create effective macroscopic behavior....
s, or materials with a negative index of refraction. As a graduate student at the University of California San Diego Smith and his colleagues, working in the laboratory of Professor Sheldon Schultz, discovered the first material that exhibited a negative index of refraction. Smith, along with four European researchers, for research in mematerials, was awarded the Descartes Prize
Descartes Prize
The Descartes Prize is an annual award in science given by the European Union, named in honour of the French mathematician and philosopher, René Descartes....
in 2005, the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's top prize for collaborative research. He is known also as the first person to create a functioning cloak of invisibility
Cloak of invisibility
A cloak of invisibility is a theme that has occurred in fiction, and is a device which is under some scientific inquiry.-Cloaks of invisibility in fiction:...
that renders an object invisible in microwave wavelengths. Although the cloaking device had limited ability to conceal an object from light of a single microwave wavelength, the experiment was an initial demonstration of the potential of metamaterial
Metamaterial
Metamaterials are artificial materials engineered to have properties that may not be found in nature. Metamaterials usually gain their properties from structure rather than composition, using small inhomogeneities to create effective macroscopic behavior....
s, constructed composite materials with unusual optical properties, to behave in unique ways because of both their chemical and structural properties.
Smith obtained a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in physics from the University of California San Diego in 1994. In 2009 Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
news service listed Smith as a potential Nobel
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
laureate in physics.http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS37530+24-Sep-2009+PRN20090924