Perfect imaging: they don't do it with mirrors

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that perfect imaging cannot be achieved with an ideal mirror alone, but is possible with Maxwell's fish eye medium that creates a curved geometry for electromagnetic waves.

Contribution

It provides exact solutions showing that Maxwell's fish eye enables perfect imaging through curved geometry, unlike a simple ideal mirror.

Findings

Perfect imaging is not achievable with an ideal mirror alone.

Maxwell's fish eye medium enables perfect imaging by implementing a curved geometry.

Exact solutions of Maxwell's equations confirm the role of medium in imaging quality.

Abstract

Imaging with a spherical mirror in empty space is compared with the case when the mirror is filled with the medium of Maxwell's fish eye. Exact time-dependent solutions of Maxwell's equations show that perfect imaging is not achievable with an electrical ideal mirror on its own, but with Maxwell's fish eye in the regime when it implements a curved geometry for full electromagnetic waves.