Raj Kumar Pal

Bio: Raj Kumar Pal is an academic researcher from Georgia Institute of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Wave propagation & Tensegrity. The author has an hindex of 18, co-authored 40 publications receiving 1374 citations. Previous affiliations of Raj Kumar Pal include Indian Institute of Science & University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

Edge waves in plates with resonators: an elastic analogue of the quantum valley Hall effect

Abstract: We investigate elastic periodic structures characterized by topologically nontrivial bandgaps supporting backscattering suppressed edge waves. These edge waves are topologically protected and are obtained by breaking inversion symmetry within the unit cell. Examples for discrete one and two-dimensional lattices elucidate the concept and illustrate parallels with the quantum valley Hall effect. The concept is implemented on an elastic plate featuring an array of resonators arranged according to a hexagonal topology. The resulting continuous structures have non-trivial bandgaps supporting edge waves at the interface between two media with different topological invariants. The topological properties of the considered configurations are predicted by unit cell and finite strip dispersion analyses. Numerical simulations demonstrate edge wave propagation for excitation at frequencies belonging to the bulk bandgaps. The considered plate configurations define a framework for the implementation of topological concepts on continuous elastic structures of potential engineering relevance.

Observation of topological valley modes in an elastic hexagonal lattice

Abstract: We report on the experimental observation of topologically protected edge waves in a two-dimensional elastic hexagonal lattice The lattice is designed to feature $K$-point Dirac cones that are well separated from the other numerous elastic wave modes characterizing this continuous structure We exploit the arrangement of localized masses at the nodes to break mirror symmetry at the unit-cell level, which opens a frequency band gap This produces a nontrivial band structure that supports topologically protected edge states along the interface between two realizations of the lattice obtained through mirror symmetry Detailed numerical models support the investigations of the occurrence of the edge states, while their existence is verified through full-field experimental measurements The test results show the confinement of the topologically protected edge states along predefined interfaces and illustrate the lack of significant backscattering at sharp corners Experiments conducted on a trivial waveguide in an otherwise uniformly periodic lattice reveal the inability of a perturbation to propagate and its sensitivity to backscattering, which suggests the superior waveguiding performance of the class of nontrivial interfaces investigated herein

Observation of topologically protected helical edge modes in Kagome elastic plates

Abstract: The investigation of topologically protected waves in classical media has opened unique opportunities to achieve exotic properties like one-way phonon transport, protection from backscattering and immunity to imperfections. Contrary to acoustic and electromagnetic domains, their observation in elastic solids has so far been elusive due to the presence of both shear and longitudinal modes and their modal conversion at interfaces and free surfaces. Here we report the experimental observation of topologically protected helical edge waves in elastic media. The considered structure consists of an elastic plate patterned according to a Kagome architecture with an accidental degeneracy of two Dirac cones induced by drilling through holes. The careful breaking of symmetries couples the corresponding elastic modes which effectively emulates spin orbital coupling in the quantum spin Hall effect. The results shed light on the topological properties of the proposed plate waveguide and opens avenues for the practical realization of compact, passive and cost-effective elastic topological waveguides.

Experimental Observation of Topologically Protected Helical Edge Modes in Patterned Elastic Plates

Abstract: Elastic plates patterned with triangular and circular holes provide the first experimental demonstration of topologically protected helical edge modes, a robust approach to manipulating vibrations, with potential applications in sensing-signal processing and wave guiding.

Helical edge states and topological phase transitions in phononic systems using bi-layered lattices

Abstract: We propose a framework to realize helical edge states in phononic systems using two identical lattices with interlayer couplings between them. A methodology is presented to systematically transform a quantum mechanical lattice which exhibits edge states to a phononic lattice, thereby developing a family of lattices with edge states. Parameter spaces with topological phase boundaries in the vicinity of the transformed system are illustrated to demonstrate the robustness to mechanical imperfections. A potential realization in terms of fundamental mechanical building blocks is presented for the hexagonal and Lieb lattices. The lattices are composed of passive components and the building blocks are a set of disks and linear springs. Furthermore, by varying the spring stiffness, topological phase transitions are observed, illustrating the potential for tunability of our lattices.

Fast parallel algorithms for short-range molecular dynamics

Abstract: Three parallel algorithms for classical molecular dynamics are presented. The first assigns each processor a fixed subset of atoms; the second assigns each a fixed subset of inter-atomic forces to compute; the third assigns each a fixed spatial region. The algorithms are suitable for molecular dynamics models which can be difficult to parallelize efficiently—those with short-range forces where the neighbors of each atom change rapidly. They can be implemented on any distributed-memory parallel machine which allows for message-passing of data between independently executing processors. The algorithms are tested on a standard Lennard-Jones benchmark problem for system sizes ranging from 500 to 100,000,000 atoms on several parallel supercomputers--the nCUBE 2, Intel iPSC/860 and Paragon, and Cray T3D. Comparing the results to the fastest reported vectorized Cray Y-MP and C90 algorithm shows that the current generation of parallel machines is competitive with conventional vector supercomputers even for small problems. For large problems, the spatial algorithm achieves parallel efficiencies of 90% and a 1840-node Intel Paragon performs up to 165 faster than a single Cray C9O processor. Trade-offs between the three algorithms and guidelines for adapting them to more complex molecular dynamics simulations are also discussed.

About heat waves

Abstract: In 1982, the Belgian Pilots' Guild raised the question of what effect exposure to radar radiation--for example, that encountered in passing a pilot launch's radar--might have on the human body. Recapitulating investigations of this question, this article states that in 25 years of experience with radar, there have been no known incidents of pilots being affected by radar waves. In the future, however, involvement by some pilots with Vessel Traffic Service shore-based radar could affect pilots somewhat differently from limited exposure to pilot launch radar. Pilots who find themselves in new working conditions close to an emitting source should exercise care all times.

Topological phases in acoustic and mechanical systems

Abstract: The study of classical wave physics has been reinvigorated by incorporating the concept of the geometric phase, which has its roots in optics, and topological notions that were previously explored in condensed matter physics. Recently, sound waves and a variety of mechanical systems have emerged as excellent platforms that exemplify the universality and diversity of topological phases. In this Review, we introduce the essential physical concepts that underpin various classes of topological phenomena realized in acoustic and mechanical systems: Dirac points, the quantum Hall, quantum spin Hall and valley Hall effects, Floquet topological phases, 3D gapless states and Weyl crystals. This Review describes topological phenomena that can be realized in acoustic and mechanical systems. Methods of symmetry breaking are described, along with the consequences and rich phenomena that emerge.

Topological Phononic Crystals with One-Way Elastic Edge Waves

Abstract: We report a new type of phononic crystals with topologically nontrivial band gaps for both longitudinal and transverse polarizations, resulting in protected one-way elastic edge waves. In our design, gyroscopic inertial effects are used to break the time-reversal symmetry and realize the phononic analogue of the electronic quantum (anomalous) Hall effect. We investigate the response of both hexagonal and square gyroscopic lattices and observe bulk Chern numbers of 1 and 2, indicating that these structures support single and multimode edge elastic waves immune to backscattering. These robust one-way phononic waveguides could potentially lead to the design of a novel class of surface wave devices that are widely used in electronics, telecommunication, and acoustic imaging.