Wave beaming and diffraction in quasicrystalline elastic metamaterial plates

TL;DR

This study demonstrates directional wave beaming and diffraction in quasicrystalline elastic metamaterial plates with high-order rotational symmetries, revealing new wave control phenomena beyond traditional periodic structures.

Contribution

It introduces a novel design of elastic plates with quasicrystalline symmetry, showing how high-order rotational symmetries influence wave propagation and anisotropic band formation.

Findings

Identification of anisotropic bands with high energy density at symmetry points

Experimental validation of wave beaming and diffraction phenomena

Expansion of wave control concepts to quasicrystalline structures

Abstract

In this paper, we present numerical and experimental evidence of directional wave behavior, i.e. beaming and diffraction, along high-order rotational symmetries of quasicrystalline elastic metamaterial plates. These structures are obtained by growing pillars on an elastic plate following a particular rotational symmetry arrangement, such as 8-fold and 10-fold rotational symmetries, as enforced by a design procedure in reciprocal space. We estimate the dispersion properties of the waves propagating in the plates through Fourier transformation of transient wave-fields. The procedure identifies, both numerically and experimentally, the existence of anisotropic bands characterized by high energy density at isolated regions in reciprocal space that follow their higher order rotational symmetry. Specific directional behavior is showcased at the identified frequency bands, such as wave beaming and diffraction. This work expands the wave directionality phenomena beyond the symmetries of periodic configurations (e.g., 4-fold and 6-fold), and opens new possibilities for applications involving the unusual high-order wave features of the quasicrystals such as superior guiding, focusing, sensing and imaging.