Title: The Mathematics of Cloaking and Invisibility

Abstract:  Cloaking and invisibility are staples of popular fiction, especially science fiction.  The pseudo-explanation usually given is that "the selective bending of light rays" (to quote Mr. Spock) around the object to be cloaked can render the object invisible.  But with the laws of physics in the real world, is this really possible, even in theory?  Scientists and mathematicians have recently found that the answer to this question is a qualified "yes."  In this talk I'll give a quantitative, but accessible account of the essential mathematical idea behind one approach to cloaking, in the context of an electromagnetic imaging technique called ``impedance imaging.''

There will be a reception at 4:30 p.m. in 745 Patterson Office Tower.