Grant announcement
Awarded U.S. Army Research Office Grant to Advance 3D Modeling of Extreme Electro-Momentum Metamaterials
Prof. Gal Shmuel is part of a research team that has won a $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense through the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative program. The team is led by Prof. Andrea Alu of the City University of New York and brings together researchers working to develop electro-momentum metamaterials for controlling and sensing elastic and acoustic waves.
ARO-supported project:
Extreme Electro-Momentum Metamaterials for Directional Sensing and Transport: 3D Modeling
In addition to participating as an international collaborator in the broader DoD-funded effort, Prof. Shmuel received a direct grant from the U.S. Army Research Office to support the theoretical and computational component that he leads within the collaboration.
The project builds on a theoretical discovery made by Prof. Shmuel and Dr. Rene Pernas-Salomon, then a postdoctoral fellow in the group. Their work introduced electro-momentum coupling in piezoelectric metamaterials: a mechanism by which the momentum of a composite material can be made dependent on the electric field through suitable microstructural design.
This coupling provides a new degree of freedom for guiding, sensing, and manipulating mechanical energy. The envisioned applications include directional acoustic sensing, acoustic detection, medical imaging, underwater communication, and related wave-control technologies.
The new project will focus on developing three-dimensional theoretical and computational models for these extreme electro-momentum metamaterials, supporting the transition from fundamental theory toward engineered devices. It builds on our previous work on electro-momentum coupling in piezoelectric metamaterials and generalized Willis-type material behavior, and continues the group direction of using symmetry, microstructure, and multiphysics coupling to design materials with non-classical wave and transport properties.
Technion announcement
Army Research Office
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