SEAS research named among discoveries of the year

Science and Nature cite research by Federico Capasso, Jennifer Lewis and Robert Wood . Research done at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) was listed among the breakthroughs of the 2016 by the journals Nature and Science . A flat metalens, developed in the lab of Federico Capasso , the Robert L. Wallace Professor of Applied Physics and Vinton Hayes Senior Research Fellow in Electrical Engineering, was named a runner-up for Science's Breakthrough of the Year 2016 . The lens is the first flat lens that can focus visible light with high efficiency and without distortions. 'These lenses can be designed with enormous flexibility and tailored for a wide range of applications,' said lead author Mohammadreza Khorasaninejad. 'The metalens, thinner than a sheet of paper, can resolve nanoscale features separated by distances smaller than the wavelength of light.' The research could have applications in the fields of camera modules for cell phones and laptops, wearable optics for virtual reality and augmented reality, flexible contact lenses or telescopes in space. 'Industrial interest in our work has been very large, from lens makers to cell phone companies.