Award for light manipulation researcher

Dr Gary Wells will receive the Society for Information Displays (SID) Sharp SID Best Student Award 2010 for his research. While completing his PhD, Wells worked alongside fellow physicists Prof Carl Brown, Prof Glen McHale and Dr Mike Newton, to develop a technique that creates and uses wrinkles in the surface of a microscopically thin layer of oil to redirect beams of light. Their new 'liquid optical device' concept was reported in the scientific journal Nature Photonics. Being able to control and manipulate the direction of light in this way opens up a range of possibilities for hi-tech developments, such as optical switches to enhance the speed of broadband internet. According to Wells, the technique proved to be much faster than many existing methods using mechanical switches, while other possibilities include its use in electronic information displays. It was Wells' research into a method for spreading microscopically thin layers of oil that lead to the breakthrough that made the device possible. Wells said: "I'm really pleased to have played my part in this exciting research. The project has required us to overcome some really interesting challenges, and the results may provide significant benefits for technology in the future." Funded by Sharp, the award will be presented to Gary at the SID's 'Power Saving in Displays' meeting on the 26th January 2010, where he will also make a presentation about his work.