Experimental Observation of Temporal Pumping in Electromechanical Waveguides

TLDR: In this paper, the authors demonstrate temporal pumping of elastic waves in an electromechanical waveguide and show that the temporal modulation of the stiffness drives the transfer of edge states from one boundary of the waveguide to the other.

Abstract: We experimentally demonstrate temporal pumping of elastic waves in an electromechanical waveguide. Temporal pumping exploits a virtual dimension mapped to time, enabling the generation and control of edge states, typical of two-dimensional systems, in a one-dimensional waveguide. We show experimentally that the temporal modulation of the stiffness drives the transfer of edge states from one boundary of the waveguide to the other. The considered implementation, that consists of an elastic waveguide coupled with tunable electrical impedances, allows the pumping to occur in a controllable manner. The framework presented herein opens new avenues for the manipulation and transport of information through elastic waves, with potential technological applications for digital delay lines and digitally controlled waveguides. This Letter also explores higher-dimensional topological physics using virtual dimensions mapped to time in electromechanical systems.