Phonon propagation dynamics in band-engineered one-dimensional phononic crystal waveguides

Abstract: The phonon propagation dynamics in a phononic crystal waveguide, realized via a suspended one-dimensional membrane array with periodic air holes, is investigated as function of its geometry. The bandstructure of the phononic crystal can be engineered by modifying the characteristics of the phonon standing waves in the waveguide by varying the waveguide width and the pitch of the air holes. This enables the phonon transmission bands, the bandgaps, the velocity and the nonlinear dispersion in the phononic crystal to be controlled. Indeed the engineered bandstructure can also be tuned to sustain multiple phonon modes in a given branch which whilst being spectrally degenerate can be temporally resolved via their differing group velocities. This systematic study reveals the key geometric parameters that enable the phonon transport in phononic crystal waveguides to be fully controlled.