The following article is Open access

Perfect imaging without negative refraction

Published 29 September 2009 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd
, , Citation Ulf Leonhardt 2009 New J. Phys. 11 093040 DOI 10.1088/1367-2630/11/9/093040

1367-2630/11/9/093040

Abstract

Perfect imaging has been believed to rely on negative refraction, but here we show that an ordinary positively refracting optical medium may form perfect images as well. In particular, we establish a mathematical proof that Maxwell's fish eye in two-dimensional (2D) integrated optics makes a perfect instrument with a resolution not limited by the wavelength of light. We also show how to modify the fish eye such that perfect imaging devices can be made in practice. Our method of perfect focusing may also find applications outside of optics, in acoustics, fluid mechanics or quantum physics, wherever waves obey the 2D Helmholtz equation.

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