Wavefront manipulation by acoustic metasurfaces: From physics and applications

Abstract

Molding the wavefront of acoustic waves into the desired shape is of paramount significance in acoustics, which however are usually constrained by the acoustical response of naturally available materials. The emergence of acoustic metamaterials built by assembling artificial subwavelength elements provides distinct response to acoustic waves unattainable in nature. More recently, acoustic metasurfaces, a class of metamaterials with a reduced dimensionality, empower new physics and lead to extended functionalities different from their three-dimensional counterparts, enabling controlling, transmitted or reflected acoustic waves in ways that were not possible before. In this review paper, we present a comprehensive view of this rapidly growing research field by introducing the basic concepts of acoustic metasurfaces and the recent developments that have occurred over the past few years. We review the interesting properties of acoustic metasurfaces and their important functionalities of wavefront manipulation, followed by an outlook for promising future directions and potential practical applications. © 2018 Bin Liang et al., published by De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston.