Multifunctional solid/solid phononic crystal

A two-dimensional, solid/solid phononic crystal (PC) comprised a square array of steel cylinders in epoxy is shown to perform a variety of spectral, wave vector, and phase-space functions. Over a range of operating frequencies, the PC's elastic band structure shows uniquely shaped equifrequency contours that are only accessible to excitations of longitudinal polarization. Under this condition, the PC is shown to behave as (1) an acoustic wave collimator, (2) a defect-less wave guide, (3) a directional source for elastic waves, (4) an acoustic beam splitter, (5) a phase-control device, and (6) a k-space multiplexer. Wave vector diagrams and finite-difference time-domain simulations are employed to authenticate the above mentioned capabilities.