Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats
Published on: June 17, 2020
Experimental demonstration of a bilayer thermal cloak
Tiancheng Han1, Xue Bai2, Dongliang Gao1
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117583, Republic of Singapore.
Abstract:
Invisibility has attracted intensive research in various communities, e.g., optics, electromagnetics, acoustics, thermodynamics, dc, etc. However, many experimental demonstrations have only been achieved by virtue of simplified approaches due to the inhomogeneous and extreme parameters imposed by the transformation-optic method, and usually require a challenging realization with metamaterials. In this Letter, we demonstrate a bilayer thermal cloak made of bulk isotropic materials, and it has been validated as an exact cloak. We experimentally verified its ability to maintain the heat front and its heat protection capabilities in a 2D proof-of-concept experiment. The robustness of this scheme is validated in both 2D (including oblique heat front incidence) and 3D configurations. The proposed scheme may open a new avenue to control the diffusive heat flow in ways inconceivable with phonons, and also inspire new alternatives to the functionalities promised by transformation optics.
Related Concept Videos
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer II
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer I
Mechanism of heat transfer
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant...
Joule-Thomson Effect
This experiment forces high-pressure gas through a throttle valve or a porous plug to a lower-pressure region. The gas expands as it passes through to...
Thermal Insulation in Masonry Walls
External insulation can be applied using an Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS), which involves affixing panels of plastic foam to the wall and covering them with a polymeric stucco reinforced with glass fiber mesh....

