Possible realization of a phononic tsunami in a wedge-shaped sample

TL;DR

This paper predicts a new nonlinear phononic phenomenon called a phononic tsunami, characterized by a dramatic increase in phonon amplitude, and proposes a wedge-shaped sample setup for its experimental observation.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of a phononic tsunami, combining analytical and numerical methods to demonstrate its potential realization in wedge-shaped samples.

Findings

Prediction of phononic tsunami characterized by amplitude increase

Identification of dispersion relations as hallmarks of the phenomenon

Proposal of wedge-shaped samples for experimental detection

Abstract

Exploiting the theory of solitons in a nonlinear elastic medium we predict a novel phenomenon called a phononic tsunami, which is characterized by the dramatic increase of the local amplitude of phonon modes. To elucidate the possible experimental detection of this phenomenon we propose to use a wedge-shaped sample in which a sharp edge serves for the emulation of the shoaling effect and such a local enhancement can be observed. Together with eigenfrequencies of transverse and longitudinal phonon modes of a system we find the characteristic dispersion relations that can be considered as a hallmark of a phononic tsunami. We justify our predictions by means of analytical calculations and numerical simulations showing a possible realization of this nonlinear effect in such a geometry. Our results provide the framework for the implementation of new kind experiments aimed at realizing and investigating a phononic tsunami phenomenon in relevant materials.