Trapped acoustic energy and resonances in spherical scatterers

TL;DR

This paper models viruses as fluid-like scatterers to analyze internal acoustic resonances, revealing that impedance mismatch induces resonances that could explain ultrasound-based viral disruption and enable acoustic metamaterials.

Contribution

It provides an exact analytical model showing how impedance mismatch causes resonances in spherical scatterers, including higher-order modes, which was not previously demonstrated.

Findings

Impedance mismatch induces resonances in subwavelength scatterers

Higher-order modes trap significant energy with broad resonance peaks

Internal acoustic resonances may destabilize viruses and enable metamaterials

Abstract

The effectiveness of biochemical antivirals are vulnerable to mutations, motivating physical approaches. Recent experiments with ultrasound reveal viral disruption at MHz frequencies, yet the mechanism remains unclear. We model viruses as fluid-like inclusions and analyze internal acoustic fields. Exact solutions reveal that impedance mismatch induces resonances even for subwavelength scatterers. Beyond the monopole, higher-order modes trap significant energy with significant resonance peak broadening even in absence of explicit dissipation mechanisms. These findings suggest internal acoustic resonances as a mechanism for viral destabilization and acoustic metamaterial applications.