title: Musical interfaces: visualization and reconstruction of music with a microfluidic two-phase flow.
abstract: Detection of sound wave in fluids can hardly be realized because of the lack of approaches to visualize the very minute sound-induced fluid motion. In this paper, we demonstrate the first direct visualization of music in the form of ripples at a microfluidic aqueous-aqueous interface with an ultra-low interfacial tension. The interfaces respond to sound of different frequency and amplitude robustly with sufficiently precise time resolution for the recording of musical notes and even subsequent reconstruction with high fidelity. Our work shows the possibility of sensing and transmitting vibrations as tiny as those induced by sound. This robust control of the interfacial dynamics enables a platform for investigating the mechanical properties of microstructures and for studying frequency-dependent phenomena, for example, in biological systems.
authors.affiliation: 1] HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China [2] Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Sze Yi
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Zida
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frere
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Tat Chuen
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: 1] HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China [2] Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Ho Cheung
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Shum