Harnessing re-programmable phase transitions to control the propagation of sound waves

Abstract: Metamaterials can enable peculiar static and dynamic behavior (such as negative effective mass density, dynamical stiffness, and Poisson's ratio) due to their geometry rather than their chemical composition. The geometry of these metamaterials can be thought of as the phase of the material, which is usually fixed once the material is fabricated. While there exist many theoretical and numerical studies of metamaterials that can change phase, or re-program, experimental realizations remain limited due to challenges in manufacturability, the destructive nature of the re-programming and inherent non-linearities. Through a combination of analytical, numerical and experimental analyses, we utilize tunable, self-assembled, nonlinear magnetic lattices to realize metamaterials with reversible phase transitions. Our metamaterials are composed of free-floating disks, with embedded permanent magnets, confined within magnetic boundaries. We exploit the non-destructive nature of the adjustable magnetic boundaries to create a set of re-programmable metamaterials to control the propagation of sound waves. Furthermore, we demonstrate a robust, real-time tunable wave filter at ultra-low frequencies. Our findings can expand the metamaterials horizon into functional and tunable devices.