From top student in college to scientific research powerhouse

Chapter 101 Completely Invisible? That's outrageous! A massive spectacle of the Emperor's New Clothes!

The Institute of Micro-Nano Optics, first-floor office.

Zhang Minghao and Sun Wen worked together to figure out how to submit the project settlement.

Research projects can be terminated if they cannot continue, provided that they encounter unforeseen circumstances. In their case, the unforeseen circumstance was insufficient funding.

As the two were discussing, Tan Yanming rushed in from outside and asked in surprise, "I heard that your project is canceled?"

Zhang Minghao stood up and shook his head, saying firmly, "We're not doing it anymore. We don't have enough funding to do it."

Tan Yanming looked at the two of them with surprise and doubt, and asked seriously, "You're not joking, are you? This is a major project directly under the Ministry of Science and Technology."

The project that Zhang Minghao and Sun Wen are working on is directly under the Ministry of Science and Technology, with a total funding of four million yuan over two years. Regardless of the nature of the project, in terms of funding, it ranks among the top projects in the Institute of Optics.

Two million a year may not sound like much, but the problem is that the project is being done by Sun Wen's team, which consists of only a few people.

Few people, but plenty of funding.

Project funds do not belong to individuals, but a portion of them is classified as labor costs and can be distributed to individuals as project allowances or bonuses.

Therefore, with more funding and fewer people, each person receives a larger allowance.

If we only talk about 'average individual labor costs', Zhang Minghao and Sun Wen's project ranks first in the Institute of Optics.

Zhang Minghao scoffed, "Dean Tan, have you ever seen a key project from the Ministry of Science and Technology with a budget of four million? The minimum is at least ten million, right?"

"We were able to manage at first, but now we really don't have enough funds and there's nothing we can do."

"Uh--"

Tan Yanming was also somewhat speechless. At first, they were talking about a project worth tens of millions of yuan, with direct funding of eight million yuan. Later, the higher-level department held a meeting and gave them four million yuan.

The higher-level funding unit claimed it was the first batch of funds, but everyone knew there would be no second batch, even if the results were submitted.

Zhang Minghao continued, "We've already decided not to continue and will close the project ahead of schedule. This is a regular project, not a lump-sum project. Let them review the funding; the remaining funds can stay in the institute or be taken back."

"Moreover, we also have a reason to be aware that insufficient funding is an unavoidable factor."

He said it with an indifferent expression.

Tan Yanming felt that Zhang Minghao had reason to be indifferent; his technology transfer income was 60 million, so a few million in funding was nothing to him.

He immediately spotted Sun Wen.

Sun Wen immediately waved her hand and said, "Director Tan, don't look at me, I'll listen to Zhang Minghao."

"Aren't you going to consider the consequences?" Tan Yanming asked immediately.

Having a project that ends abnormally has a significant impact on a researcher, making it very difficult to apply for projects in the future.

Sun Wen shrugged. "I've never been able to get projects, I'm used to it."

Tan Yanming opened his mouth but said nothing. He didn't even need to ask Zhang Minghao because Zhang Minghao absolutely didn't care about any subsequent consequences.

Zhang Minghao's main research areas are electromagnetism and metamaterials. He is currently studying the ZXZ phenomenon and has already achieved several significant results.

The project related to visual invisibility had absolutely no impact on him personally.

There were two people, one who didn't care at all, and the other who was a scoundrel who had nothing to lose.

How can I persuade them?
Tan Yanming took a deep breath and tried to persuade them from another angle, "Even if you don't care about the project being left unfinished, isn't this kind of settlement a bit unfair?"

"As far as I know, you've already spent nearly two million, and it hasn't been long..."

He was referring to a matter of character and morality.

Zhang Minghao frowned immediately and said, "Dean Tan, we are applying to close the project due to force majeure."

"This isn't a failed project!"

"We lack funding, we have no other choice, but we have achieved results!"

"Yup!"

Sun Wen also stood up, wanting to uphold her integrity as well. "We've done so many experiments, and the data is all recorded and can be submitted."

Zhang Minghao followed up, saying, "Not only in experiments, but we've also made progress in our data research, and it's been going very smoothly."

He thought for a moment, then continued, "How about this?"

"Let's make another invisible sphere and submit it as our achievement. That'll leave them speechless!"

Tan Yanming was somewhat puzzled, "Make another invisible sphere? Wouldn't that be a waste of funds?"

“Not all balls are the same,” Zhang Minghao said earnestly.

Tan Yanming looked at Sun Wen with a puzzled expression.

Sun Wen was also a little confused, but she immediately raised her head high, revealing confidence on her face.

Actually, she didn't understand either, but Zhang Minghao had already said to just follow along.

They are standing together!

……

Zhang Minghao returned to the Applied Electromagnetism Laboratory and worked in the doctoral student workspace for several more hours.

He continuously calculated and studied, and completed a brand-new design scheme for an invisible sphere.

The fuzzy visual perception framework has been greatly improved compared to the original one. With the original scheme as a reference, the new invisible sphere scheme was completed very quickly.

The new scheme uses a combination of four types of micron-sized crystal particles, one more than the original scheme, requiring twice the manufacturing precision and making the particle combination more complex.

The new solution is more complex, but of course, it will be more effective.

The next morning, Zhang Minghao went to the Institute of Optics and gave the new plan to Sun Wen.

The Institute of Optics has not yet started its holiday.

Sun Wen immediately gathered a team to study the manufacturing process of the new solution.

Zhang Minghao gave a brief explanation, stating that compared to the previous plan, the only difference was the change in materials and the more complex and precise design.

Of course, the manufacturing difficulty will also increase several times.

In addition, the cost has increased.

I knew that a whole piece of material would cost around 200,000 yuan, but now it's more than double that. Fortunately, we have enough material in stock. Using the materials we used for our experiments, another 100,000 yuan or so will be enough.

This expense is reimbursable because it's not a material cost and can be included in the 'indirect expenses' budget.

Since the project is already due for settlement, there's no point in saving money.

As the design becomes more complex and the manufacturing becomes more difficult, it becomes necessary to study manufacturing solutions.

Zhang Minghao and Sun Wen's team started working on manufacturing issues together, and later Tan Yanming also got involved, as he was very interested in the new design.

That's an invisible ball that can be used for settlement of results. How much will the invisibility effect be improved?
He was too curious.

Zhang Minghao didn't offer much explanation; everything would be clear once it was done.

After a morning of design and research, we started the actual production in the afternoon. Because the precision requirements were very high, even the cutting of the material particles took a long time.

The fabrication of the particulate materials took a whole day to complete. These particulate optical materials had to be solidified in the designed locations, giving it a bit of a metamaterials compilation feel to it.

Fortunately, it's only at the micrometer level, so it's not difficult to detect using high-precision, professional equipment.

After three and a half days, a single piece of transparent material was finally created.

The materials used this time are different from the last time. The biggest difference is that the bottom black light-absorbing film is gone. The material still looks like PVC. When placed on the lab bench, it has a very high light transmittance when viewed from the edge.

"It has a much higher light transmittance than the original invisible sphere material."

Tan Yanming immediately noticed the difference and asked curiously, "Without the light-absorbing material at the back, if an invisibility sphere is created, will the things inside be visible?"

Zhang Minghao smiled and said, "Dean, take a closer look."

Tan Yanming frowned and looked over again.

Sun Wen appeared even more professional, and she exclaimed in realization, "This is extraordinary, truly extraordinary!"

"From the side, it has a high light transmittance, but in reality, it is opaque from the front."

The others immediately looked over as well.

From a distance, they thought the material had a high light transmittance, but when they placed it on the lab bench, they found that they couldn't see the surface at all.

Zhang Minghao explained, "From the front, the quality is acceptable, and it's about the same as the design."

"Light can now penetrate the material, but due to the special refractive index of the particles inside, the surface will be very blurry."

"Once it's made into a sphere, light can no longer pass through it directly."

He continued, "The reason we didn't add light-absorbing material to the back is because it's no longer necessary."

"According to calculations, after being made into a standard sphere, the light transmittance on the front side of the sphere can reach more than 92%, and this piece of material should also have a transmittance of more than 90%."

"Sigh~~~"

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

This data is astonishing. Ordinary insulated glass can achieve a light transmittance of over 90%, while ordinary tempered glass only has 80% to 85%.

If a large piece of clean glass is placed in front of you, and you can't see the edges, it's often difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.

The previous invisible sphere had a light penetration rate of less than 80% on the side directly opposite it.

Under sunlight, it's not easy to see from a distance, but once you get closer, you'll find that the light passing through the invisible sphere is significantly dimmer.

That's why it's necessary to adjust the lighting during university achievement exhibitions to create an environment that doesn't highlight the invisible sphere.

If the light penetrating directly opposite the sphere has a transmittance of over 90%, it may become indistinguishable.

After hearing Zhang Minghao's explanation, everyone was eager to see the invisible ball's effect.

Master craftsman Deng Jiashan immediately began manufacturing.

He carefully studied the material and tested its properties.

Then, after taking the dimensions, the molding process began.

Although the material design and manufacturing are more refined, the difference in material is not significant. The process of making the material into a sphere is still the same: first, the material is laid on a spherical mold, and balanced stretching is done in various positions, and then the shaping material is filled in.

After the shaping was completed, a perfectly integrated sphere was created.

After waiting for a while, Deng Jiashan walked out of the room with a tripod in his hand, his eyes fixed on the top of the tripod.

Everyone else is already impatient.

Tan Yanming took a few steps closer and looked over, then asked suspiciously, "Old Deng, is there something on that support frame you're holding?"

Deng Jiashan's expression was somewhat exaggerated. He took a deep breath and exclaimed in surprise, "There's definitely something there. It's a sphere. I made it, how could I not know?"

"But now, I can't see clearly, and I don't dare to touch it."

"Is this really that exaggerated?" Tan Yanming couldn't believe it. He felt like he was witnessing a scene from 'The Emperor's New Clothes'.

"Really? Put it on the table first."

Deng Jiashan carefully walked over and placed the stand flat on the table.

He was still staring intently at the top.

Sun Wen also leaned closer to take a closer look, and after a few seconds she said, "There really is one!"

"A very, very thin layer."

Tan Yanming leaned over and looked closely as well. After a long while, he muttered, "There is indeed something there, but I can't tell it's a ball."

After he finished speaking, he asked, "Can I touch it?"

Sun Wen reached out to protect the ball, then immediately shook her head, "No, absolutely not, it'll get dirty if you touch it!"

As she spoke, seemingly unintentionally, her hand was brushed against the top of the support.

"There's something!"

Zhang Minghao stood beside him, also staring intently at the sphere.

This invisible sphere has such high light transmittance that it's hard to see clearly even when placed on a table and brought up close. Even if you can vaguely make out some things, you can't tell it's a sphere.

Tan Yanming, Sun Wen, and others studied it together for quite a while.

Tan Yanming asked in surprise, "How did you design this? How did you come up with it?"

"It's about gradual improvement."

Zhang Minghao said, "We have been conducting experiments to study the properties of various materials, and our main focus is on solving the problems of scattering and reflection."

“Scattering and reflection directly affect light transmittance. Minimizing scattering will make the surface of the sphere very unclear.”

"This is the result of the research."

After Zhang Minghao finished speaking, he asked with a smile, "Dean, can we submit this sphere we built as an achievement?"

"The project isn't exactly a failed project, is it?"

"Yes! Absolutely!"

Tan Yanming nodded vigorously and said, "If we take this upstairs, I reckon you'll still be the ones doing the project in the end..."

"Huh? You can still do it? Really?"

Sun Wen was stunned for a moment, then quickly glanced at Zhang Minghao before raising her head high and saying nonchalantly, "We've already finished the project, we're not doing it anymore, we're not doing it anymore, even if you asked us to do it, we wouldn't!"

She waved her hand dismissively, then turned excitedly to Deng Jiashan, "Master Deng, look, can we still make two small balls with the remaining materials?"

"Please make another one for me. I'll keep it in the lab and use it as a prop for magic shows in the future."

Tan Yanming's face immediately darkened.

Zhang Minghao found it very interesting and immediately said, "Master Deng, could you please make one for me too?"

"I also want to learn how to do magic tricks..."

(End of this chapter)