From top student in college to scientific research powerhouse

Chapter 53: You probably wouldn't have imagined this at your level...

Mentioning the military and military technology always brings an invisible pressure to people.

Military technology involves matters of secrecy.

Wang Qingxin, Sun Wen, and Zhang Minghao did not talk further. After leaving the airport, they took a car back to Jiangzhou University.

Only after getting out of the taxi did Wang Qingxin begin to speak, “In China, the only metamaterial that has reached the application level, especially electromagnetic metamaterials, is radar stealth coating.”

"The Institute of Science and Technology of China has internationally leading metamaterial thin film compilation technology. They have used thin film compilation technology to manufacture high-performance microwave absorbing materials."

"It should already be in use..."

Wang Qingxin also sounded somewhat uncertain, as applications in the field of military technology are all classified.

Sun Wen added, "In any case, the metamaterials experts at the Institute of Science and Technology definitely have military backgrounds."

"Are they interested in stealth sphere technology?" Zhang Minghao felt that stealth technology might attract the military, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

"Not necessarily, maybe they're just here to take a look."

Wang Qingxin smiled and said, "Don't feel pressured. In fact, my team has also cooperated with the military."

Zhang Minghao immediately became interested.

Sun Wen curled her lip and said disdainfully, "Don't flatter yourself. Cooperation? All you came up with was a laser weapon proposal, and it got rejected."

Wang Qingxin immediately retorted, "That's still cooperation! They even sponsored us with 200,000 yuan."

"The person who made the decision must regret it; 200,000 yuan has gone down the drain..."

Every word Sun Wen said pierced people's hearts.

Wang Qingxin was so angry he wanted to curse, "Don't even mention me, your team doesn't even have a chance!"

"Now the opportunity has come, hasn't it?"

As Sun Wen spoke, she looked at Zhang Minghao and made a victory sign.

Zhang Minghao laughed too; their teasing made him feel much less pressured.

We chatted all the way to the Institute of Micro-Nano Optics.

Wang Zhigang has arrived.

Just as Wang Qingxin guessed, he was assigned by his superiors to come and take a look.

Xu Zhen and Zhao Anrong were also with them.

Xu Zhen is a mathematical physics expert who specializes in the mathematical expression of physical correlations. His team has constructed a mathematical model describing the interaction between electromagnetic waves and metal surfaces, making a significant contribution to the development of radar thin film materials that can absorb the widest frequency range.

Zhao Anrong is a military technology expert who understands various military technologies and is good at integrating them and applying them in corresponding scenarios.

Wang Zhigang is a technical expert in metamaterials. He led the team that completed the research and development of metamaterial thin films and compilation technology at the Institute of Science and Technology.

This research caused a sensation internationally, propelling China's metamaterials technology to a leading international level.

The three of them were in the reception room on the second floor of the research institute.

In fact, they did not initially intend to approach Zhang Minghao. The invisible sphere was a technology demonstration conducted by Jiangzhou University, and it was labeled as a collaboration between Zhang Minghao and the Institute of Optics.

Normally, optical research institutes would have people who understand stealth sphere technology.

However, upon arriving at the Institute of Optics, they learned that the invisibility sphere was designed by Zhang Minghao on his own, and the institute only assisted in conducting some basic experiments.

This made Tan Yanming somewhat embarrassed, and he could only say, "Let's wait a little longer."

"I just got off the plane, and it's about time now."

Wang Zhigang and the other two hurriedly said, "We were just free, so we came to take a look."

"We'll wait then."

"I really want to meet this Zhang Minghao. He's been on the news twice. The invisible sphere was designed entirely by him; that's truly remarkable!"

As they were talking, the person returned.

Zhang Minghao, Sun Wen, and Wang Qingxin entered the reception room together. Tan Yanming immediately stood up and introduced them, "This is Zhang Minghao."

After he finished speaking, he pointed to Sun Wen and said, "And Professor Sun Wen. In recent years, Professor Sun Wen has been dedicated to the research of visual light perception models, which has also laid a solid foundation for the development of the invisible sphere."

Wang Qingxin stood tall and waited.

Tan Yanming skipped over him and started introducing the three experts from the Institute of Science and Technology to the group.

After the introductions were finished, Wang Qingxin felt awkward about shaking hands with the people, but standing there without shaking hands was also a bit of an eyesore.

He simply left quietly. Tan Yanming glanced at him with amusement, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then also left the reception room.

Now only Zhang Minghao and Sun Wen were left in the reception room.

Facing the three experts from the Institute of Science and Technology, Zhang Minghao felt a little nervous, after all, they represented the military.

Sun Wen, with her glasses on, maintained the same expression, it was hard to tell whether she was nervous or excited.

Wang Zhigang was very approachable. He sat down next to Zhang Minghao and said, "Zhang Minghao, don't be nervous. We're just here for a technical discussion and want to learn more about the invisible sphere you made."

"I just saw a small one downstairs; it had excellent stealth capabilities!"

Zhao Anrong and Xu Zhen nodded in agreement.

Wang Zhigang continued, "The invisibility sphere mainly relies on optical transmission, right? It should also involve scattering control, right?"

"Correct."

Zhang Minghao nodded in agreement.

The principle behind the invisible sphere is simple; professionals can understand it after studying it.

Wang Zhigang pondered for a moment, then asked seriously, "Is it effective against infrared light?"

"efficient."

Zhang Minghao explained, "Infrared light and visible light have similar optical properties. When they shine on a material, they will undergo the same refraction and scattering phenomena."

Wang Zhigang nodded thoughtfully and continued, "To what extent can infrared radiation be controlled? I mean, can a large amount of infrared radiation be controlled?"

"I don't know."

Zhang Minghao shook his head. "This requires experimental measurement. We've conducted simple tests using various colors of light. Infrared light cannot be observed, so the experiment would be much more complex."

Wang Zhigang nodded as he listened, then looked at Zhao Anrong and Xu Zhen.

Xu Zhen asked, "Zhang Minghao, could you tell me exactly how the research was conducted? I'm quite curious about it."

"Your stealth material is made up of particles at the hundred-micrometer scale. The particle composition of conventional materials can achieve this property..."

"It's hard to imagine!"

They all looked at Zhang Minghao again.

Zhang Minghao nodded slightly and explained, "This involves one of my studies, which I call the 'maximizing fuzzy visual perception framework'."

"I built the framework using experimental data from Professor Sun Wen's team. By performing calculations within the framework, we can determine the optimal combination of materials to achieve light control."

"However, the research has only just begun, because we don't have more detailed data, such as better-performing optical materials, or the properties of material particles smaller than ten micrometers..."

When discussing professional issues, Zhang Minghao's nervousness disappeared, and he became much more relaxed and confident.

He briefly introduced the research methods.

Wang Zhigang and the other two exchanged glances, then asked, "So, if there are more experiments, you can continue to refine the framework, make more precise calculations, and create better stealth materials?"

"That's understandable."

After finishing his sentence, Zhang Minghao asked directly, "Are the higher-ups interested in stealth technology?"

"Invisibility is very sci-fi and very interesting."

Wang Zhigang said with a smile, "But radar stealth is definitely more practical."

He didn't continue the conversation, but instead asked, "I'm curious, can your research be used to calculate the material properties of metamaterials?"

"For example, calculate the best-performing combination of microwave absorbing materials."

Zhao Anrong and Xu Zhen also became noticeably serious.

Zhang Minghao pursed his lips tightly, and after organizing his thoughts for a long time, he finally spoke, "Professor Wang, there's a question that someone of your stature might not have thought of."

"What is it?" Wang Zhigang was taken aback.

“Conventional universities and research institutions cannot conduct high-end metamaterial manufacturing research.”

"For example, the applied electromagnetics laboratory where I work can only do some of the most basic material property determination experiments, such as studying bismuth telluride and thin-layer growth in specific environments."

"Professor Sun Wen has always wanted to study optical metamaterials. Without a doubt, that is the future of stealth materials. However, even with the strength of the Institute of Micro-Nano Optics, it is impossible to provide the research and development environment required for optical metamaterials."

Similarly, they also cannot come up with the huge amount of funding required...

(End of this chapter)