Sound waves passing through a vacuum – University of Jyväskylä
Madrid, 9 ago. (Europe Press) –
Physicists University of Jyväskylä (Finland) They have demonstrated that, under certain conditions, sound can be strongly transmitted through a region of vacuum.
In a recent article published in Contact PhysicsPhysicists Zhuoran Geng and Ilari Maasilta have shown that, in some cases, a sound wave can completely jump or “tunnel” through the vacuum space between two solids. If the materials in question are piezoelectric. In such materials, vibrations (sound waves) also produce an electrical response, and since an electric field can exist in a vacuum, Can transmit sound waves.
The requirement is that the size of the space must be smaller than the wavelength of the sound wave. This effect works not only in the audio frequency range (Hz-kHz) but also in ultrasonic (MHz) and hypersound (GHz) frequencies, As the frequencies increase until the vacuum gap becomes smaller.
“In most cases, the effect is small, but we also found situations where the entire energy of the wave jumps through the vacuum with 100% efficiency, without reflection. This phenomenon can find applications in micro-electromechanical components (MEMS, smartphone technology) and thermal control,” he says. It is a statement Professor Ilary Masilda from the Center for Nanoscience at the University of Jyväskylä.
