Phononics 2019

Phononics

The study of phonons – although a core discipline in the conventional condensed matter physics literature – is currently being viewed in a new light. Whether examined at the nanoscale, microscale or larger scales, the analysis and manipulation of phonons (aka phononics) is opening up a new technological frontier with a potential impact that could match that of electronics almost half a century ago. Indeed a rival field, photonics, is gathering similar momentum. Looking closely, phononics encompasses a range of interconnected disciplines, usually labeled in terms of the type of host “material” that provides the medium for phononic wave propagation. These include phononic crystals, phononic metamaterials, superlattices and periodic structures. The application domains that these phononic materials are impacting, with increasing promise, range from vibration isolation in MEMS components, through frequency sensing in RF communications, to nano-scale thermal transport control in semiconductors. With the recent advent of metamaterials, exotic applications are now added to the list such as acoustic cloaking and superlensing. The interaction of mechanical waves with their optical counterpart in a lattice, i.e. optomechanics, is opening up yet another barrage of opportunities especially in telecommunications.

History of the Conference

The coming-of-age of these closely-related disciplines provides a converging point of historical significance for the science of phonons. In 2009, an International Workshop on Phononic Crystals took place in Nice, France and was attended by around 30 experts in the field from around the world. Building on this effort, a larger-in-scale international forum was established in 2011 and Phononics 2011 was inaugurated as a prime international conference for the field. Phononics 2013, the second in the bi-annual series, welcomed scientists and engineers from across the world and across all related disciplines. Phononics 2015 in Paris was the third edition, and in 2017, Phononics 2017 was held in Changsha, China.

Phononics 2019

Phononics 2019 is the fifth conference dedicated to analysis and manipulation of phonons (vibrations in solids), connecting researchers interested in phononic crystals, acoustic/thermal metamaterials, wave propagation in periodic structures, nano-scale phonon transport, and optomechanics and phonon coupling. A quiet revolution in Phononics is under way!  This revolution, driven by a growing community, challenges the current paradigms of phononics and is expanding what was thought until only recently to be well established frontiers.  The new frontiers are enabled by new fabrication and manufacturing technologies, new fundamental scientific principles inspired by condensed matter physics, astrophysics, as well as environmental and life-sciences.  The objectives of Phononics 2019 are to share our current understanding of these scientific principles in the context of phononics and metamaterials as well as discuss the implications and approaches in fabrication, manufacturing and technological development to address critical strategic, technological and societal challenges. Phononics 2019 will promote the notion of convergence research, that is, the merging of ideas, approaches, and technologies from diverse fields of knowledge at a high level of integration with the aim of solving complex technical and societal problems as well as addressing complex intellectual questions.

More specifically, the conference scientific focus will be on the following nine central themes underlying current research in the field of phononics:

1.         Phononic Crystal Design and Fabrication

2.         Acoustic Metamaterial Design and Fabrication

3.         Applications of Phononic Crystals and Acoustic Metamaterials

4.         Temporally modulated Phononic Crystals and Acoustic Metamaterials

5.         Topological Acoustics and Phononics

6.         Nonlinear Phononic Crystals and Acoustic Metamaterials

7.         Thermal Phonons

8.         Optomechanics and Phonon Coupling

9.       Phononic Crystals and Acoustic Metamaterials in Biology