Revolutionary trampoline for phonons: the future of sound transport!

Revolutionary trampoline for phonons: the future of sound transport!

researchers from the University of Konstanz, the University of Copenhagen and the ETH Zurich have developed a new “trampoline for phonons” that demonstrates previously unknown methods for phonon transport. This innovative trampoline is only 0.2 millimeters wide and has a jumping cloth with a thickness of 20 millionths of millimeters. According to the University of Konstanz , the surface shows a punctual pattern from triangular holes and can swing in different directions, which means that a "trampoline in the trampoline ”is created.

The vibrations run in a perfect triangular pattern and the trampoline acts as a wave ladder for phonons, which are the "sound quantums", the vibrations in the crystal grille of a solid. Due to the unique surface structure, phonons can be guided “around the corner” almost without loss. It is possible to guide phonons through narrow curves of 120 degrees with losses of less than one to ten thousand, which delivers a loss rate that is comparable to modern telecommunications techniques.

development details and possible applications

The design of the trampoline was made by Prof. Dr. Oded Zilberberg designed, while his implementation was carried out by colleagues at the University of Copenhagen and ETH Zurich. The results of this research were published in the journal Nature . Zilberberg has already thought about the opportunity to build the trampoline in human size, which indicates future applications. Research was funded by several institutions, including the European Research Council and the German Research Foundation.

Another important aspect that is derived from current research results is the discovery of the phononic spectrum of graphs by Jiade Li and his colleagues from the Institute of Physics in China. According to a report on APS Physics , new experiments show that graphs not only have topological electrons but also topological phonons. These topological materials have properties such as dissipation-free surface flows and could play a crucial role in the development of phonon diodes and other phononic devices.

topological phonons and their characterization

Topological phonons, which are characterized in the latest research, are connected by special topological invariants that are linked to crystalline symmetries. They can occur in different crystals, depending on the receipt of symmetries such as mirror or inversion symmetry. According to an article on Nature show Weyl-Phonons, which are occurred in non-centrosymmetrical structures, which are described by the cup number. These developments open up new perspectives in materials science, especially in chiral crystalline substances, where topological phonons often occur.