New Material Can Control Waves in Synthetic “Fourth Dimension”
Potential applications range from quantum computers to earthquake-proofing buildings
Scientists have used the properties of a material to create an “extra dimension” through which waves passing through it can be better controlled. Using the concept of synthetic dimension, scientists have developed a new metamaterial that can better control mechanical surface waves.
As the name implies, these waves travel along the surface of solid materials. This wave motion is found in many natural and man-made processes, so being able to better control this wave motion is very interesting. According to Professor Guoliang Huang and colleagues at the University of Missouri, the solution is to use a different dimension than the conventional three dimensions.
‘Conventional materials are limited to the three dimensions of the x-, y-, and z-axes. This allows us to manipulate the path of the energy waves as they travel from one corner of the material to another. “
Synthetic dimension is a way of making dynamical properties appear as if they have four geometric dimensions. Often, though not always, quantum mechanics is involved. When you roll or fold a sheet of paper, you are manipulating three dimensions to resemble two. In other words, the composite dimension is a clever trick that uses the mathematical machinery of the extra dimension to extend control over the system and what passes through it.
The metamaterial in question here uses a “strategically patterned” elastic surface consisting of resonant columns and slowly changing bonding bridges. This smart patterning allows the waves to travel through the material without interacting with any obstacles or defects that may be present there.
Although the samples created are very small, the team believes that they can be scaled up to have exciting potential applications in both electronics and civil engineering, such as in the development of earthquake-resistant materials.
The majority (90%) of the energy generated by earthquakes occurs at the surface of the earth. Therefore, covering structures such as pillows with this material and placing them on the ground surface beneath buildings could potentially prevent them from collapsing during an eart
Source: New Material Can Control Waves in Synthetic “Fourth Dimension”