Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 17, 2025

Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
Published on: March 3, 2017
Causality and Instability in Wave Propagation in Random Time-Varying Media
R Pierrat1, J Rocha1, R Carminati1,2
1PSL University, ESPCI Paris, Institut Langevin, CNRS, 1 rue Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
We develop a theoretical model to investigate wave propagation in media with random time-varying properties, where temporal fluctuations lead to complex scattering dynamics. Focusing on the ensemble-averaged field, we derive an exact expression for the average Green's function in the presence of finite temporal disorder, and extend the analysis to the thermodynamic limit. In contrast to spatial disorder, causality prevents recurrent scattering, allowing us to achieve a nonperturbative solution. We introduce an effective medium description providing a simple analysis of the propagation regimes. Our findings offer new insights into wave dynamics in temporally disordered media, with potential applications in time-varying metamaterials, dynamic sensing, and imaging in turbulent or chaotic environments.
Related Concept Videos
Propagation of Waves
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...
Velocity and Acceleration of a Wave
The velocity of the particles can be obtained by taking the partial derivative of the position equation with respect to time....
Travelling Waves
Water waves, sound waves, and seismic waves are some examples of mechanical waves. For water waves, the wave propagation medium is...
Reflection of Waves
Traveling Waves: Lossless Lines
Propagation of Uncertainty from Random Error

