An acoustic wave is a mechanical disturbance that propagates through an elastic medium via successive compressions and rarefactions of particles, transporting energy but not net mass. Described by solutions to the linearized equations of fluid or solid mechanics, acoustic waves obey characteristic relations between pressure, density, and particle velocity fluctuations, with propagation speed determined by the medium’s elastic moduli and mass density. They can be longitudinal or, in solids, include transverse components, and are characterized by parameters such as frequency, wavelength, impedance, and attenuation, which govern reflection, refraction, scattering, and mode conversion in acoustically relevant phenomena and applications.
Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have developed a novel Ising machine that utilizes surface acoustic waves as an effective carrier of dense information flow. This approach enables fast, energy-efficient solutions ...
Condensed Matter
Mar 17, 2025
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In a scene toward the end of the 2006 film, "X-Men: The Last Stand," a character claps and sends a shock wave that knocks out an opposing army. Sunny Jung, professor of biological and environmental engineering in the College ...
General Physics
Mar 11, 2025
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A unique propagation phenomenon of acoustic waves has been discovered, paving the way for developing advanced communication technologies using acoustic devices.
Nanophysics
Jan 29, 2025
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413
Researchers have pioneered the use of parallel computing on graphics cards to simulate acoustic turbulence. This type of simulation, which previously required a supercomputer, can now be performed on a standard personal computer. ...
General Physics
Jan 16, 2025
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Mechanical crystals, also known as phononic crystals, are materials that can control the propagation of vibrations or sound waves, just like photonic crystals control the flow of light. The introduction of defects in these ...
Over the past several decades, researchers have been getting better and better at manipulating tiny particles with acoustic waves. Dubbed "acoustic tweezers," the technology started with the simplistic trapping of particles ...
Condensed Matter
Nov 26, 2024
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46
Acoustic metamaterials—architected materials that have tailored geometries designed to control the propagation of acoustic or elastic waves through a medium—have been studied extensively through computational and theoretical ...
Nanophysics
Nov 21, 2024
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94
A team of researchers has for the first time successfully used lasers to generate guided sound waves on the surface of a microchip. These acoustic waves, akin to the surface waves produced during an earthquake, travel across ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 23, 2024
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In the context of sensory modalities, eyes work like tiny antennae, picking up light, electromagnetic waves traveling at blistering speeds. When humans look at the world, their eyes catch these waves and convert them into ...
Nanophysics
Oct 18, 2024
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Cornell University researchers have demonstrated that acoustic sound waves can be used to control the motion of an electron as it orbits a lattice defect in a diamond, a technique that can potentially improve the sensitivity ...
Condensed Matter
Aug 26, 2024
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