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Topological Phononic Crystals with One-Way Elastic Edge Waves
Pai Wang1, Ling Lu2, Katia Bertoldi1,3
1Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
We developed novel phononic crystals exhibiting protected one-way elastic edge waves for both longitudinal and transverse polarizations. These topological phononic crystals mimic the quantum Hall effect, paving the way for advanced wave devices.
Area of Science:
- Solid-state physics
- Acoustics
- Materials science
Background:
- Topological phononic crystals offer unique wave manipulation properties.
- Breaking time-reversal symmetry is key to realizing topological phenomena.
- Existing designs often focus on single polarization or lack robustness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a new phononic crystal design with topologically nontrivial band gaps.
- To achieve protected one-way elastic edge wave propagation for both longitudinal and transverse polarizations.
- To explore the phononic analogue of the quantum (anomalous) Hall effect.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing gyroscopic inertial effects to break time-reversal symmetry.
- Investigating hexagonal and square gyroscopic lattice structures.
- Analyzing bulk Chern numbers to confirm topological properties.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated phononic crystals with topologically nontrivial band gaps.
- Observed protected one-way elastic edge waves for both polarizations.
- Measured bulk Chern numbers of 1 and 2 in hexagonal and square lattices, respectively.
- Confirmed the support of single and multimode edge elastic waves immune to backscattering.
Conclusions:
- The proposed gyroscopic phononic crystals enable robust, one-way elastic wave propagation.
- These structures serve as a phononic analogue of the quantum Hall effect.
- The findings open avenues for novel surface wave devices in electronics, telecommunication, and acoustic imaging.
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