Phase-controlling phononic crystal

Abstract

We report on a phononic crystal (PC) consisting of a square array of cylindrical polyvinylchloride inclusions in air that can be used to control the relative phase of two incident acoustic waves with different incident angles. The phase shift between waves propagating through the crystal depends on the angle of incidence of the incoming waves and the PC length. The behavior of the PC is analyzed using the finite-difference-time-domain method. The band structure and equifrequency contours calculated via the plane wave expansion method show that the distinctive phase controlling properties are attributed to noncollinear wave and group velocity vectors in the PC as well as the degree of refraction.