A Mathematical and Numerical Framework for Bubble Meta-Screens

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide a mathematical and numerical framework for the analysis and design of bubble meta-screens. An acoustic meta-screen is a thin sheet with patterned subwavelength structures, which nevertheless has a macroscopic effect on acoustic wave propagation. In this paper, periodic subwavelength bubbles mounted on a reflective surface (with Dirichlet boundary condition) are considered. It is shown that the structure behaves as an equivalent surface with Neumann boundary condition at the Minnaert resonant frequency which corresponds to a wavelength much greater than the size of the bubbles. An analytical formula for this resonance is derived. Numerical simulations confirm its accuracy and show how it depends on the ratio between the periodicity of the lattice, the size of the bubble, and the distance from the reflective surface. The results of this paper formally explain the superabsorption behavior observed in [V. Leroy et al., Phys. Rev. B, 19 (2015), 02031].