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Invariance Principle for Wave Propagation inside Inhomogeneously Disordered Materials.
Yiming Huang1, Chushun Tian2, Victor A Gopar3
1Department of Physics, Queens College and The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, Flushing, New York 11367, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|February 22, 2020
Summary
Wave propagation in disordered materials is complex. Our study reveals that wave statistics depend only on scattering and reflection strengths, not detailed material structure.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Materials Science
- Wave Phenomena
Background:
- Disorder is prevalent in both natural and synthetic materials.
- Wave propagation in disordered media is a complex phenomenon.
- Inhomogeneously disordered materials have received limited research attention regarding wave propagation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the spatial variation of wave propagation quantities in inhomogeneously disordered materials.
- To develop a theoretical framework and experimental validation for wave behavior in such materials.
Main Methods:
- Combination of microwave experiments and theoretical modeling.
- Analysis of wave statistics in materials with varying degrees of inhomogeneity.
- Focus on generic wave propagation quantities.
Main Results:
- Wave statistics in inhomogeneously disordered materials are independent of the material's detailed structure.
- Wave statistics are determined solely by the net strengths of scattering and reflection.
- This finding applies to samples of any dimension.
Conclusions:
- The detailed microstructure of an inhomogeneously disordered material does not influence wave statistics.
- Scattering and reflection strengths are the key parameters governing wave propagation behavior.
- This provides a simplified model for understanding wave phenomena in complex materials.
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