GALCIT Colloquium

Metamaterials consist of engineered microstructural assemblies that exhibit superior properties in comparison to less-composed or naturally-occurring materials. Their unusual wave properties include band-gap behavior, response directionality, left-handedness, and negative acoustic refraction, among others. These features, and their application for the design of acoustic filters, waveguides, logic ports, and ultrasonic transducer arrays, motivate the investigation of elastic wave propagation in micro-structured media and architecture materials.

 

The seminar illustrates the properties of metamaterials featuring periodic arrays of electromechanical resonators. Tunable local resonating systems exploiting piezoelectric coupling are investigated to achieve strong wave attenuation at desired frequencies, to guide waves along desired paths, and to challenge the notion of non-reciprocity in wave motion. These concepts can be applied for vibration reduction and noise control, and as part of surface acoustic wave devices capable of isolator, gyrator and circulator-like functions on compact acoustic platforms.