Efficient and High-Purity Sound Frequency Conversion with a Passive Linear Metasurface

Despite the significance for wave physics and potential applications, high-efficiency frequency conversion of low-frequency waves cannot be achieved with conventional nonlinearity-based mechanisms with poor mode purity, conversion efficiency, and real-time reconfigurability of the generated harmonic waves in both optics and acoustics. Rotational Doppler effect provides an intuitive paradigm to shifting the frequency in a linear system which, however, needs a spiral-phase change upon the wave propagation. Here a rotating passive linear vortex metasurface is numerically and experimentally presented with close-to-unity mode purity (>93%) and high conversion efficiency (>65%) in audible sound frequency as low as 3000 Hz. The topological charge of the transmitted sound is almost immune from the rotational speed and transmissivity, demonstrating the mechanical robustness and stability in adjusting the high-performance frequency conversion in situ. These features enable the researchers to cascade multiple vortex metasurfaces to further enlarge and diversify the extent of sound frequency conversion, which are experimentally verified. This strategy takes a step further toward the freewheeling sound manipulation at acoustic frequency domain, and may have far-researching impacts in various acoustic communications, signal processing, and contactless detection.

Automated summary

This study presents a rotating passive linear vortex metasurface that achieves high-efficiency frequency conversion in low-frequency audible sound. The metasurface demonstrates close-to-unity mode purity and high conversion efficiency. Researchers can cascade multiple vortex metasurfaces to further expand and diversify sound frequency conversion. This development has significant implications for acoustic communications, signal processing, and contactless detection.