Phononic Crystal — Elastic Bandgap

1D Elastic Metamaterial · Bragg Scattering · Band Structure

Crystal Parameters

Transfer Matrix

M = M₁ · M₂ · M₁ · ...
cos(ka) = ½Tr(M)
Bandgap: |½Tr(M)| > 1
Computing band structure...

Physics

Phononic crystals are periodic elastic media where Bragg scattering at layer interfaces opens frequency gaps. Waves in the bandgap decay exponentially (evanescent modes). The transfer matrix method gives exact band structure for 1D systems. Contrast in acoustic impedance Z=√(ρE) determines gap width.