Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Quasi-light Storage for Optical Data Packets
Published on: February 6, 2014
Optical delay of a signal through a dispersive invisibility cloak
Baile Zhang1, Bae-Ian Wu, Hongsheng Chen
1Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. bzhang@mit.edu
Abstract:
We present a full-wave analysis method on the transmission of a Gaussian light pulse through a spherical invisibility cloak with causal dispersions. The spatial energy distribution of the Gaussian light pulse is distorted after the transmission. A volcano-shaped spatial time-delay distribution of the transmitted light pulse is demonstrated as a concrete example in our physical model. Both the time-delay and the energy transport depend on the polarization of light waves. This study helps to provide a complete picture of energy propagation through an invisibility cloak.
Related Concept Videos
Interference and Diffraction
Propagation Speed of Electromagnetic Waves
Echo
Imagine the sound is reflected back to the ears. Assuming that the source is very close to the human, the difference between hearing the two sounds—the emitted sound and the reflected sound—may be more than the minimum time for perceiving distinct sounds. If this is the case, then the...
Propagation of Waves
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...

