Topological negative refraction of surface acoustic waves in a Weyl phononic crystal

TL;DR

This paper reports the first observation of topological negative refraction of surface acoustic waves in a Weyl phononic crystal, enabling novel control of sound propagation with topological protection.

Contribution

It demonstrates negative refraction of topological surface states in a Weyl phononic crystal, a novel phenomenon with potential for advanced acoustic wave manipulation.

Findings

Negative refraction of surface acoustic waves observed

Surface wave refraction controlled by surface termination design

Reflection suppressed due to topological protection

Abstract

Reflection and refraction occur at interface between two different media. These two fundamental phenomena form the basis of fabricating various wave components. Specifically, refraction, dubbed positive refraction nowadays, appears in the opposite side of the interface normal with respect to the incidence. Negative refraction, emerging in the same side by contrast, has been observed in artificial materials1-5 following a prediction by Veslago6, which has stimulated many fascinating applications such as super-resolution imaging7. Here we report the first discovery of negative refraction of the topological surface arc states of Weyl crystals, realized for airborne sound in a novel woodpile phononic crystal. The interfaces are one-dimensional edges that separate different crystal facets. By tailoring the surface terminations of such a Weyl phononic crystal, open equifrequency contours of surface acoustic waves can be delicately designed to produce the negative refraction, to contrast the positive counterpart realized in the same sample. Strikingly different from the conventional interfacial phenomena, the unwanted reflection can be made forbidden by exploiting the open nature of the surface equifrequency contours, which is a topologically protected surface hallmark of Weyl crystals8-12.