Nonreciprocal field transformation with active acoustic metasurfaces

Field transformation, as an extension of the transformation optics, provides a unique means for nonreciprocal wave manipulation, while the experimental realization remains a substantial challenge as it requires stringent material parameters of the metamaterials, e.g., purely nonreciprocal bianisotropic parameters. Here, we develop and demonstrate a nonreciprocal field transformation in a two-dimensional acoustic system, using an active metasurface that can independently control all constitutive parameters and achieve purely nonreciprocal Willis coupling. The field-transforming metasurface enables tailor-made field distribution manipulation, achieving localized field amplification by a predetermined ratio. The metasurface demonstrates the self-adaptive capability to various excitation conditions and can be extended to other geometric shapes. The metasurface also achieves nonreciprocal wave propagation for internal and external excitations, demonstrating a one-way acoustic device. The nonreciprocal field transformation not only extends the framework of the transformation theory for nonreciprocal wave manipulation but also holds great potential in applications such as ultrasensitive sensors and nonreciprocal communication. Copyright © 2024 the Authors, some rights reserved.