Propagation of elastic waves in a flexomagnetic solid

TL;DR

This paper develops a theoretical framework for elastic wave propagation in flexomagnetic solids, revealing unique dispersion, velocity, and attenuation phenomena influenced by flexomagnetism and microstructure.

Contribution

It introduces a novel theory accounting for flexomagnetic effects and microstructure in elastic wave propagation, predicting phenomena absent in classical elasticity.

Findings

Flexomagnetic effects induce both normal and abnormal dispersion.

Transverse wave velocities can surpass longitudinal velocities in these materials.

Waves can exhibit zero or negative group velocities and wave freezing phenomena.

Abstract

Flexomagnetism is the coupling between magnetism and strain gradients and is a technologically relevant phenomenon. We present a theory of elastic wave propagation in a linear elastic flexomagnetic material with microstructure and strain gradient elastic interactions. The expressions of frequency, phase velocity, and group velocity of longitudinal and transverse waves are derived and are shown to depend on the flexomagnetic coefficient and microstructure. We also show that the effect of flexomagnetism and microstructure can lead to some interesting phenomena in wave propagation, which are not observed in classical linear elasticity theory of waves. Specifically, in contrast to classical linear elastic materials, where wave propagation is non-dispersive, flexomagnetic materials with microstructure can exhibit both normal and abnormal dispersion. It is also noteworthy that, in flexomagnetic materials with gradient elasticity, the phase velocities of transverse waves can exceed those of longitudinal waves, which is atypical in classical elasticity. Furthermore, waves can also attenuate for a certain range of wavenumbers that depend on the flexomagnetic coefficient and microstructural parameters. Finally, we explore the possibility of waves exhibiting zero group velocity modes, where waves are non-propagating but have strong local energy confinement, negative group velocity modes, where the wave packet moves in the opposite direction to that of wave propagation, and the phenomenon of wave freezing, where a propagating wave stops in space without diffusing or spreading.