Surface resonant-states-enhanced acoustic wave tunneling in two-dimensional phononic crystals

We show that by placing a metal plate next to a two-dimensional phononic crystal, acoustic waves can tunnel through the combined structure at a specific frequency that lies inside the band gap of the phononic crystal. The enhanced transmission is attributed to the coupling of the input waves with the acoustically resonant states created between the metal plate and the phononic crystal. Experiments are in excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions.