Transformation devices: carpets in space and space-time

Abstract

Here we extend the theory of space-time or event cloaking into that based on the carpet or ground-plane reflective surface. Further, by recasting and generalizing a scalar acoustic wave model into a new mathematically covariant form, we also show how transformation theories for optics and acoustics can be combined into a single prescription. The single prescription, however, still respects the fundamental differences between electromagnetic and acoustic waves, which then provide us with an existence test for any desired transformation device -- are the required material properties (the required constitutive parameters) physically permitted by the wave theory being designed for? Whilst electromagnetism is a flexible theory permitting almost any transformation device (T-device) design, we show that the acoustic model used here is more restricted.