skip to main content


Title: Ultra-sparse near-perfect sound absorbers
There is a trade-off between the sparseness of an absorber array and its sound absorption imposed by wave physics. Here, near-perfect absorption (99% absorption) is demonstrated when the spatial period of monopole-dipole resonators is close to one working wavelength (95% of the wavelength). The condition for perfect absorption is to render degenerate monopole-dipole resonators critically coupled. Frequency domain simulations, eigenfrequency simulations, and the coupled mode theory are utilized to demonstrate the acoustic performances and the underlying physics. The sparse-resonator-based sound absorber could greatly benefit noise control with air flow and this study could also have implications for electromagnetic wave absorbers.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1951221 1951106
PAR ID:
10404902
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
JASA Express Letters
Volume:
3
Issue:
3
ISSN:
2691-1191
Page Range / eLocation ID:
034001
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. The unidirectional scattering of electromagnetic waves in the backward and forward direction, termed Kerkers’ first and second conditions, respectively, is a prominent feature of sub-wavelength particles, which also has been found recently in all-dielectric metasurfaces. Here we formulate the exact polarizability requirements necessary to achieve both Kerker conditions simultaneously with dipole terms only and demonstrate its equivalence to so-called “invisible metasurfaces”. We further describe the perfect absorption mechanism in all-dielectric metasurfaces through development of an extended Kerker formalism. The phenomena of both invisibility and perfect absorption is shown in a 2D hexagonal array of cylindrical resonators, where only the resonator height is modified to switch between the two states. The developed framework provides critical insight into the range of scattering response possible with all-dielectric metasurfaces, providing a methodology for studying exotic electromagnetic phenomena.

     
    more » « less
  2. In this paper, we theoretically demonstrate a dual-band independently tunable absorber consisting of a stacked graphene nanodisk and graphene layer with nanohole structure, and a metal reflector spaced by insulator layers. This structure exhibits a dipole resonance mode in graphene nanodisks and a quadrupole resonance mode in the graphene layer with nanoholes, which results in the enhancement of absorption over a wide range of incident angles for both TE and TM polarizations. The peak absorption wavelength is analyzed in detail for different geometrical parameters and the Fermi energy levels of graphene. The results show that both peaks of the absorber can be tuned dynamically and simultaneously by varying the Fermi energy level of graphene nanodisks and graphene layer with nanoholes structure. In addition, one can also independently tune each resonant frequency by only changing the Fermi energy level of one graphene layer. Such a device could be used as a chemical sensor, detector or multi-band absorber. 
    more » « less
  3. Abstract

    Optical absorbers comprised of an ultrathin lossy dielectric film on an opaque metallic substrate are an attractive alternative to lithographically intense metamaterial and nanoplasmonic optical absorbers as they allow for large‐scale, cost‐effective fabrication. However, requiring that the dielectric is lossy and the metallic substrate is highly reflective but not a perfect electric conductor (PEC) limits the wavelength range and materials that can be used to realize strong to perfect light absorption. In this work, we theoretically and experimentally investigate light absorption using ultrathin lossless dielectric films. By choosing proper lossless ultrathin dielectrics and substrates, iridescence free, perfect light absorption is possible over the visible, near infrared (NIR), and short‐wave infrared (SWIR) wavelength ranges with designer absorption properties. The proposed class of ultrathin film absorbers relaxes many constraints on the type of materials used to realize perfect light absorption. The flexibility of our design makes it relevant for many applications specifically in structural coloring, selective thermal emission, thermo‐photovoltaics, photo‐thermoelectric generation, and gas sensing.

     
    more » « less
  4. We identify a new kind of physically realizable exceptional point (EP) corresponding to degenerate coherent perfect absorption, in which two purely incoming solutions of the wave operator for electromagnetic or acoustic waves coalesce to a single state. Such non-Hermitian degeneracies can occur at a real-valued frequency without any associated noise or nonlinearity, in contrast to EPs in lasers. The absorption line shape for the eigenchannel near the EP is quartic in frequency around its maximum in any dimension. In general, for the parameters at which an operator EP occurs, the associated scattering matrix does not have an EP. However, in one dimension, when the S matrix does have a perfectly absorbing EP, it takes on a universal one-parameter form with degenerate values for all scattering coefficients. For absorbing disk resonators, these EPs give rise to chiral absorption: perfect absorption for only one sense of rotation of the input wave. 
    more » « less
  5. Abstract

    Metamaterial perfect absorbers (MPAs) are artificial materials composed of an array of subwavelength structures that manipulate electromagnetic waves to achieve extraordinary light absorption properties. Driven by the advent of the Internet of Things, MPAs are employed in microelectromechanical systems for the development of efficient and miniaturized IR detectors, imagers, and spectrometers, thanks to their lithographically tunable peak absorption, spectral selectivity, and ultrathin thickness. MPAs characterized by high absorptance in narrow spectral bands are particularly desirable for the implementation of high‐resolution IR spectroscopic sensors. Yet, no accurate analytical model is currently available to guide the design of an MPA with ultra‐narrow absorption bandwidth, while meeting all the stringent requirements for spectroscopic sensors. Here, a circuit model capable of accurately predicting spectral responses of metal–insulator–metal (MIM) IR absorbers is reported. The model is experimentally validated in the mid‐wavelength IR spectral range and exploited for the first demonstration of an MIM IR absorber that exhibits performance approaching the predicted physical limits: full‐width at half‐maximum ≈3% and near‐unity absorption (η > 99.7%) at 5.83 µm wavelength, while independent of incident angle and polarization of the impinging IR radiation. These unprecedented absorption properties are key enablers for the development of miniaturized, low‐cost, and high‐resolution spectrometers.

     
    more » « less