Acoustic wave propagation in one-dimensional phononic crystals containing Helmholtz resonators

One-dimensional acoustic waveguide containing subwavelength-sized Helmholtz resonators is known to exhibit novel physical phenomena. However, no systematic theoretical study on this system has been carried out so far except on a few limited cases. We present a thorough theoretical calculation on the acoustic wave propagation in phononic crystals containing Helmholtz resonators without any geometrical size restrictions. The band structures, transmission spectra, and defect states are studied for diverse geometries using the interface response theory. It is shown that the acoustic band structure of the model is fundamentally different from the conventional acoustic elastic cases and richer due to the coexistence of the resonant and the Bragg gaps. It is also shown that the presence of a defect resonator in the system can give rise to a localized mode inside the resonance gaps. The results clearly show that the presence of the Helmholtz resonators singly or periodically can play a prominent role in designing any acoustic band gap materials. c 2008 American Institute of Physics.