Speaker
Dr
John Page
(University of Manitoba)
Description
Waves in complex media are often strongly scattered due to mesoscopic heterogeneities, leading to unusual phenomena which continue to fascinate us and enrich our basic understanding of the wave physics of condensed matter. Examples range from strikingly large variations in wave speeds to unusual refraction and tunneling effects, and even to the complete inhibition of wave propagation, due to disorder, that may occur in very strongly scattering samples when waves become localized. Ultrasonic techniques are well suited for investigating such phenomena since complete information about wave propagation (both amplitude and phase, in both time and space) can be measured directly in samples with well controlled internal structures. In this talk I will summarize some of our work on ultrasonic wave transport in both ordered and disordered mesoscopic materials (e.g., phononic crystals, metamaterials and “mesoglasses”), focusing on our recent progress in answering the long–standing question of whether or not Anderson localization of classical waves can really occur in three-dimensional disordered materials. This work is making it possible to study aspects of Anderson localization that have not previously been amenable to experimental investigation, and is contributing to the current resurgence of interest in localization in condensed matter physics and related disciplines.
Author
Dr
John Page
(University of Manitoba)
