Guest Speaker: Prof. WU Ying
Applied Mathematics and Computational Science
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Prof. Ying Wu is a Full Professor and Chair of the Applied Mathematics and Computational Science (AMCS) program at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). She also holds secondary affiliations with Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Material Science and Engineering and Applied Physics (MSE&AP) programs. She received her BSc from Nanjing University in 2002 and PhD from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2008.
Prof. Wu’s research interests focus on wave propagation in complex media, including effective medium theory, metamaterials, photonic and phononic crystals, topological materials. She has published nearly 100 articles on high impact journals and is now serving on the board of the International Phononics Society.
Abstract
Waves propagating in a medium with a zero refractive index do not accumulate phase, leading to spatially uniform wave fields. Such zero-index materials have attracted significant interest in both physics and mathematics due to their unconventional wave manipulation capabilities, including wavefront engineering, energy tunneling, and cloaking. However, zero refractive index does not occur in naturally available materials, and must instead be achieved through carefully engineered artificial structures.
In this talk, I will provide an overview of zero-index materials, covering both single-zero and double-zero regimes, and revealing the link behind the zero-indices and the mode profiles. I will then discuss our recent collaborative efforts toward realizing double-zero-index behavior in both acoustic and electromagnetic systems, highlighting the underlying physical mechanisms and design principles. Distinctive properties and emerging functionalities enabled by these materials, such as beam splitter, acoustic periscope and acoustic leaky wave antenna, will be introduced. Their potential for advancing wave control and device applications will be discussed.
