Double-negative acoustic metamaterials

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide a mathematical theory for understanding the mechanism behind the double-negative refractive index phenomenon in bubbly fluids. The design of double-negative metamaterials generally requires the use of two different kinds of subwavelength resonators, which may limits the applicability of double-negative metamaterials. Herein we rely on media that consists of only a single type of resonant element, and show how to turn the acoustic metamaterial with a single negative effective property obtained in [H. Ammari and H. Zhang, Effective medium theory for acoustic waves in bubbly fluids near Minnaert resonant frequency. SIAM J. Math. Anal., 49 (2017), 3252--3276.] into a negative refractive index metamaterial, which refracts waves negatively, hence acting as a superlens. Using bubble dimers made of two identical bubbles, it is proved that both the effective mass density and the bulk modulus of the bubbly fluid can be negative near the anti-resonance of the two hybridized Minnaert resonances for a single constituent bubble dimer. A rigorous justification of the Minnaert resonance hybridization, in the case of a bubble dimer in a homogeneous medium, is established. The acoustic properties of a single bubble dimer are analyzed. Asymptotic formulas for the two hybridized Minnaert resonances are derived. Moreover, it is proved that the bubble dimer can be approximated by a point scatterer with monopole and dipole modes. For an appropriate volume fraction of bubble dimers with certain conditions on their configuration, a double-negative effective medium when the frequency is near the anti-resonance of the hybridized Minnaert resonances can be obtained.