Description du projet
Mécanique quantique et élastodynamique dans les métamatériaux
Les métamatériaux, des matériaux d’ingénierie dotés de propriétés exotiques différentes de celles observées dans la nature, sont au premier plan de la recherche pluridisciplinaire dans de nombreux domaines. Les métamatériaux qui altèrent de manière non naturelle la propagation des ondes, y compris le son, l’eau et la lumière, ont suscité une attention croissante ces dernières années, la modification des ondes élastiques présentant un intérêt tout particulier. Le couplage entre les ondes de cisaillement et de pression, qui est propre à l’élastodynamique, peut minimiser ou supprimer l’énergie externe des processus, générant ainsi des phénomènes exotiques. Le projet EXCEPTIONAL, financé par l’UE, étudiera le couplage des ondes de cisaillement et de pression avec un formalisme de mécanique quantique décrivant des systèmes non conservateurs qui échangent de l’énergie avec leur environnement. Comprendre la mécanique de la propagation des ondes dans les métamatériaux permettra de concevoir rationnellement des dispositifs de mise en forme des ondes.
Objectif
The properties of artificial materials can be tailored to exhibit extraordinary properties by cleverly engineering their composition. The development of such metamaterials is a prominent thrust in engineering today. One of the greatest challenges is to engineer metamaterials that manipulate waves by design. Of particular interest are elastic waves, since numerous mechanical applications require their control; vibration isolation, ultrasonography, energy harvesting and cloaking, to name a few. The forefront of research in wave control emerged from a seemingly unrelated theory, quantum mechanics, with the development of its non-Hermitian formalism, describing nonconservative systems that exchange energy with their environment. By drawing analogies between this formalism and those of classical systems, researchers have discovered phenomena that defy intuition, phenomena such as zero reflection and chiral absorption, and have exploited them to control light, sound, and elastic waves. Can we go beyond these analogies?
I suggest that the answer is hidden in the tensorial nature of elastodynamics, a nature that is unparalleled in other physics. This conjecture is motivated by my group's recent discovery that even conservative stratified solids can generate non-Hermitian features, such as negative refraction and exceptional points. The mechanism that obviates external energy is the coupling between shear and pressure waves that is unique to elastodynamics. What happens when judiciously exploiting this distinctive mechanism together with concepts from non-Hermitian quantum mechanics? In tackling this question I expect to unveil novel phenomena that are inaccessible in other physics. Understanding the mechanics will lead to exceptional ways of shaping waves, thereby benefiting engineering applications that require robust control of elastic motion.
Champ scientifique
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Régime de financement
HORIZON-AG - HORIZON Action Grant Budget-BasedInstitution d’accueil
32000 Haifa
Israël