Penn Researchers Develop Compound Lenses Out of Liquid Crystals

Penn physicists and engineers have used liquid crystals to create compound lenses similar to those which make up the eyes of insects, where thousands of lenses work together to provide sophisticated information without the need for a sophisticated brain. Taking advantage of the geometry in which liquid crystals like to arrange themselves, the researchers can grow compound lenses with controllable sizes. The study, published in the journal Advanced Optical Materials, was led by physics postdoctoral researchers Francesca Serra and Mohamed Amine Gharbi, with Vicki and William Abrams Professor in the Natural Sciences Randall Kamien and faculty of Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science.

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