Experimental realization of an active time-modulated airborne acoustic circulator at audible frequencies
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Reciprocity is one of the fundamental characteristics of wave propagation in linear time-invariant media with preserved time-reversal symmetry. Breaking reciprocity opens the way to numerous applications in the fields of phononics and photonics, as it allows the unidirectional transport of information and energy carried by waves. In acoustics, achieving non-reciprocal behavior has lead extensive research including active and activated structures, nonlinear media, as well as moving media. In particular, time modulation has shown its efficiency to violate time-reversal symmetry and lead to non-reciprocity. Here, we design and experimentally demonstrate a three-port non-reciprocal acoustic scatterer that behaves as a circulator for audible sound, by actively modulating the effective mass of the acoustic membranes over time. We discuss the conception and experimental validation of such an acoustic circulator, implemented with actively controlled loudspeakers, in the realm of audible and airborne acoustics, and demonstrate its good performance in different scenarios.
Source: Journal of Sound and Vibration
Authors: Matthieu Malléjac, Romain Fleury
Institution: École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,190
OpenAlex ID: W4411372015