Acoustic leaky-wave metasurface by an inverse design method
Phys. Rev. Applied 25, 024047 – Published 13 February, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/92wl-nbq9
Abstract
Leaky-wave metasurfaces (LWMs) are artificial structures that can convert space-confined waves into free-space-propagating waves. They have recently attracted much attention in the field of electromagnetics. Similar structures for acoustic waves have been proposed as beam generators, acoustic prisms, direction-finding devices, and vortex-beam generators. We observe that, although various structures have been proposed, existing design methods are difficult to extend to inversely map a customized leaky-wave solution to a specific structure. In this paper, we propose an inverse design method for the acoustic LWM (ALWM) design. With this method, structures can be designed to support leaky-wave solutions with customized wave fronts. To demonstrate the utility of the proposed method, two ALWMs have been designed as examples. The first structure is designed as a frequency-scanning antenna that can continuously steer the direction of the radiation beam from backfire to endfire by changing the working frequency. The second structure is designed to emit a Bessel-like beam with a customized nondiffractive range. The performances of both structures are verified using finite-element simulations. The second structure is further fabricated via three-dimensional printing technology, and the shape of the Bessel-like beam and its self-healing behavior are measured. The agreement between the numerical and experimental results demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed structure and design method. This work not only provides an efficient method for ALWM design, by which two simple structures usable in sensing and communication are created, but also offers a general understanding of leaky-wave solutions necessary for the design of other artificial leaky-wave structures.
