title: Nonlinear low-to-high-frequency energy cascades in diatomic granular crystals.
abstract: We study wave propagation in strongly nonlinear one-dimensional diatomic granular crystals under an impact load. Depending on the mass ratio of the "light" to "heavy" beads, this system exhibits rich wave dynamics from highly localized traveling waves to highly dispersive waves featuring strong attenuation. We demonstrate experimentally the nonlinear resonant and antiresonant interactions of particles, and we verify that the nonlinear resonance results in strong wave attenuation, leading to highly efficient nonlinear energy cascading without relying on material damping. In this process, mechanical energy is transferred from low to high frequencies, while propagating waves emerge in both ordered and chaotic waveforms via a distinctive spatial cascading. This energy transfer mechanism from lower to higher frequencies and wave numbers is of particular significance toward the design of novel nonlinear acoustic metamaterials with inherently passive energy redistribution properties.
authors.affiliation: Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-2400, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-2400, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chaunsali
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-4515, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-2400, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jaworski
authors.affiliation: Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-2400, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-4515, USA.|Center for Nonlinear Studies and Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544, USA.
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Kevrekidis
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61822, USA.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Vakakis