Experimental study on acoustic subwavelength imaging of holey-structured metamaterials by resonant tunneling

Additive Manufacture of Small-Scale Metamaterial Structures for Acoustic and Ultrasonic Applications

Acoustic metamaterials are large-scale materials with small-scale structures. These structures allow for unusual interaction with propagating sound and endow the large-scale material with exceptional acoustic properties not found in normal materials. However, their multi-scale nature means that the manufacture of these materials is not trivial, often requiring micron-scale resolution over centimetre length scales. In this review, we bring together a variety of acoustic metamaterial designs and separately discuss ways to create them using the latest trends in additive manufacturing. We highlight the advantages and disadvantages of different techniques that act as barriers towards the development of realisable acoustic metamaterials for practical audio and ultrasonic applications and speculate on potential future developments.

A novel approach to Fabry-Pérot-resonance-based lens and demonstrating deep-subwavelength imaging

During our research, we explored a novel way to represent subwavelength imaging and derived a transmission equation to explicate the FP (Fabry–Pérot) resonance phenomena. Subsequently, using analysis and observation, we performed deep-subwavelength imaging. Both numerically and experimentally, imaging with super-resolution was achieved at deep subwavelength scale of λ/56.53 with a lens thickness 212 mm. Our results also showed that by increasing lens thickness, higher resolution can be achieved. Moreover, via a single source study, we showed the full width at half maximum range and predicted the size of smallest detectable object. We also observed that with a greater lens thickness, finer features could be detected. These findings may open a new route in near-field imaging for practical applications such as biometric sensors, ultrasonic medical equipment, and non-destructive testing.

Robust far-field subwavelength imaging of scatterers by an acoustic superlens

It is well accepted that the conversion of an evanescent wave into a propagating wave is critical to far-field subwavelength imaging. However, subwavelength resolution can also be achieved using the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm for the situation of low conversion. In order to explore the difference of imaging performance between these two approaches, an acoustic superlens of length about one wavelength is designed to convert the evanescent wave into a propagating wave, which can be harnessed by the MUSIC algorithm. It is confirmed that the conversion of the evanescent wave into a propagating wave plays a role in improving the imaging resolution against noise, and the imaging resolution is improved by both the MUSIC algorithm and an acoustic superlens.

In-depth study on resonant tunneling for subwavelength imaging

We report new frequency bands for subwavelength imaging by using the resonant tunneling method which have not been explored previously. As per the existing theory of resonant tunneling, imaging frequency is limited for a certain number of crystals. However, after conducting an analytical analysis over a wide range of frequencies, we observed that higher frequencies do exist for subwavelength imaging. We verified this observation both numerically and experimentally. We extended our study to observe the effect of lattice periodicity on image resolution. By reducing periodicity during experiment, we achieved a resolution of λ/9.5 at the conventional region and λ/2.45 at the higher band region.

Two-dimensional water acoustic waveguide based on pressure compensation method

A two-dimensional (2D) waveguide is a basic facility for experiment measurement due to a much more simplified wave field pattern than that in free space. A waveguide for airborne sound is easily achieved with almost any solid plates. However, the design of a 2D water acoustic waveguide is still challenging because of unavailable solids with a sufficient large impedance difference from water. In this work, a new method of constructing a 2D water acoustic waveguide is proposed based on pressure compensation and has been verified by numerical simulation. A prototype of the water acoustic waveguide is fabricated and complemented by an acoustic pressure scanning system; the measured scattered pressure fields by air and aluminum cylinders both agree quite well with numerical simulations. Most acoustic pressure fields within a frequency range 7 kHz-15 kHz can be measured in this waveguide when the required scanning region is smaller than the aluminum plate area (1800 mm × 800 mm).

Design of an acoustic superlens using single-phase metamaterials with a star-shaped lattice structure

We propose a single-phase super lens with a low density that can achieve focusing of sound beyond the diffraction limit. The super lens has a star-shaped lattice structure made of steel that offers abundant resonances to produce abnormal dispersive effects as determined by negative parameter indices. Our analysis of the metamaterial band structure suggests that these star-shaped metamaterials have double-negative index properties, that can mediate these effects for sound in water. Simulations verify the effective focusing of sound by a single-phase solid lens with a spatial resolution of approximately 0.39 λ. This superlens has a simple structure, low density and solid nature, which makes it more practical for application in water-based environments.

Pinhole Zone Plate Lens for Ultrasound Focusing

The focusing capabilities of a pinhole zone plate lens are presented and compared with those of a conventional Fresnel zone plate lens. The focusing properties are examined both experimentally and numerically. The results confirm that a pinhole zone plate lens can be an alternative to a Fresnel lens. A smooth filtering effect is created in pinhole zone plate lenses, giving rise to a reduction of the side lobes around the principal focus associated with the conventional Fresnel zone plate lens. The manufacturing technique of the pinhole zone plate lens allows the designing and constructing of lenses for different focal lengths quickly and economically and without the need to drill new plates.

Extreme stiffness hyperbolic elastic metamaterial for total transmission subwavelength imaging

Subwavelength imaging by metamaterials and extended work to pursue total transmission has been successfully demonstrated with electromagnetic and acoustic waves very recently. However, no elastic counterpart has been reported because earlier attempts suffer from considerable loss. Here, for the first time, we realize an elastic hyperbolic metamaterial lens and experimentally show total transmission subwavelength imaging with measured wave field inside the metamaterial lens. The main idea is to compensate for the decreased impedance in the perforated elastic metamaterial by utilizing extreme stiffness, which has not been independently actualized in a continuum elastic medium so far. The fabricated elastic lens is capable of directly transferring subwavelength information from the input to the output boundary. In the experiment, this intriguing phenomenon is confirmed by scanning the elastic structures inside the lens with laser scanning vibrometer. The proposed elastic metamaterial lens will bring forth significant guidelines for ultrasonic imaging techniques.

Ultrasonic lens based on a subwavelength slit surrounded by grooves

The lensing capabilities of a single subwavelength slit surrounded by a finite array of grooves milled into a brass plate is presented. The modulation of the beam intensity of this ultrasonic lens can be adjusted by varying the groove depth. Numerical simulations as well as experimental validations at 290 kHz are shown. The experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical simulations. This system is believed to have potential applications for medical ultrasound fields such as tomography and therapy.