Session U60: ``Trends" in the APS Publication Physics

Spin Caloritronics: spin-dependent thermoelectrics and beyond

Condensed matter physicists hope to alleviate the various energy crises that threaten our way of life through research into the management and recycling of waste heat by solid state structures and devices. In particular, spin caloritronics investigators study the role of the electron's spin in the flow, control, and transformation of heat currents in magnetic materials in order to add new functionalities and increase the efficiency of existing thermoelectric technology. In this talk I will give an overview of spin caloritronics and explain our present understanding of the underlying physics.   

Animalcules Redux: The fantastic world of microswimmers

Antony van Leeuwenhoek, the master microscopist, discovered many of the microorganisms that are now so familiar to us. His so-called ``animalcules'' such as bacteria and algae have been central to the study of problems in biological physics ranging from locomotion to evolution. Recent advances in microscopy, micromanipulation, high-speed imaging, and colloidal physics have led to renewed interest in natural, as well as synthetic, swimming microorganisms -- microswimmers. In this talk I will give an overview of some fascinating recent developments, including collective behavior and anomalous transport in suspensions of swimmers, synchronization of flagella and colloidal oscillators, and light-driven multicellular locomotion (phototaxis).   

Metamaterials, Transformation Optics, and the Science of Invisibility

Refractive materials give limited control of light: we can fashion lenses, and construct waveguides, but complete control is beyond simple refracting materials. Ideally we might wish to channel and direct light as we please as if diverting the flow of a fluid. Manipulation of Maxwell's equation using transformation optics shows that we can achieve just that, and metamaterials open the door to this new design paradigm for optics, providing the properties required to give almost complete control of light down to sub wavelength scales. One potential application would be to steer light around a hidden region, creating a cloak of invisibility.