• Accepted Paper

Subwavelength ultrasonic imaging by extraordinary transmission in solids

Jiacheng Chen, Lionel Haumesser, Rémi Rouffaud, Eun Bok, Marc Lethiecq, Wenlou Yuan, Oliver B. Wright, and Thibaut Devaux

Phys. Rev. Applied - Accepted 9 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/8z7c-ddxb

Abstract

Far-field ultrasonic imaging is fundamentally limited by the diffraction limit: increasing frequency improves lateral resolution by focusing but at the cost of higher attenuation and fabrication difficulty. In contrast, metamaterial-based strategies offer a route to non-contact near-field subwavelength concentration and improved resolution without resorting to higher operating frequencies. In this paper, we demonstrate a subwavelength acoustic resonant system for near-field ultrasonic imaging at 500 kHz based on extraordinary acoustic transmission, or EAT, of bulk waves inside a solid. Combining a Fabry–Perot resonant subwavelength-diameter aluminum pillar with concentric grooves engineered to convert bulk waves into Rayleigh surface waves allows the concentration of elastic waves to a subwavelength spot at the pillar apex. Pulse–echo experiments demonstrate near-field contrast in the round-trip transmission response of the subwavelength structure, with finite-element simulations linking this response to field localization at the pillar apex. Near-field scans of test samples with a water-layer couplant then reveal the quantitative retrieval of subwavelength object features, with a two-dimensional lateral resolution of ~1 mm, corresponding to ~1/12 of the longitudinal wavelength in aluminum. These results establish solid-state EAT metamaterials as a robust alternative approach to ultrasonic imaging, opening the way to advanced probe designs and near-surface inspection applications.

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