Generation of high-order focused acoustic vortices and multiplexed beams using Dual-Channel metamaterials.

• Broadband transmission properties of the designed metamaterial; • Phase modulation capabilities to design dual-channel units theoretically and numerically; • Based on the dual-channel configuration to systematically design the frequency-dependent vortices; • Experimental verification of the multiplexed vortices with different orders and focal positions; • Application and exploration of acoustic encryption and underwater wireless communication. Focused vortex beams have attracted considerable research attention due to their unique acoustic properties, and have been explored in medical imaging, biomedical therapy, and particle manipulation. Here, an acoustic metamaterial vortex generator (AMVG) is designed to realize a multiplexed focusing acoustic vortex (MFAV) with multiple-order topological charges (TCs). The proposed AMVG is composed of several fanlike sectors with two high transmission channels per unit, which can flexibly modulate the transmitted phase shift in two separate frequency bands. In contrast to conventional acoustic metamaterial-based vortices, the design strategy provides a new degree of freedom, i.e., frequency, that may extend to the agile tailoring of multi-band independent vortices, significantly enhancing the information encoded in the acoustic metamaterial. Acoustic transmission and phase shift of the dual-channel unit are investigated theoretically and demonstrated in simulations using the finite element method. The focal position and TC of the MFAVs can be modulated by simply adjusting the cavity length of the unit cell and even only the sector order. Furthermore, we implement three-dimensional anechoic experiments to verify the effectiveness of the off-axial MFAVs by the designed AMVG. These multiplexed focusing vortices offer a technical advance to tackle the rising challenges in the fields of acoustic signal processing and communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]