Mathematical analysis of the waves propagation through a rectangular material structure in space–time

We consider propagation of waves through a spatio-temporal doubly periodic material structure with rectangular microgeometry in one spatial dimension and time. Both spatial and temporal periods in this dynamic material are assumed to be the same order of magnitude. Mathematically the problem is governed by a standard wave equation ( ρ u t ) t − ( k u z ) z = 0 with variable coefficients. We consider a checkerboard microgeometry where variables cannot be separated. The rectangles in a space–time checkerboard are assumed filled with materials differing in the values of phase velocities k ρ but having equal wave impedance k ρ . The difference between dynamic materials and classical static composites is that in the former case the design variables will also be time dependent. Within certain parameter ranges, the formation of distinct and stable limiting characteristic paths, i.e., limit cycles, was observed in [K.A. Lurie, S.L. Weekes, Wave propagation and energy exchange in a spatio-temporal material composite with rectangular microstructure, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 314 (2006) 286–310]; such paths attract neighboring characteristics after a few time periods. The average speed of propagation along the limit cycles remains the same throughout certain ranges of structural parameters, and this was called in [K.A. Lurie, S.L. Weekes, Wave propagation and energy exchange in a spatio-temporal material composite with rectangular microstructure, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 314 (2006) 286–310] a plateau effect. Based on numerical evidence, it was conjectured in [K.A. Lurie, S.L. Weekes, Wave propagation and energy exchange in a spatio-temporal material composite with rectangular microstructure, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 314 (2006) 286–310] that a checkerboard structure is on a plateau if and only if it yields stable limit cycles and that there may be energy concentrations over certain time intervals depending on material parameters. In the present work we give a more detailed analytic characterization of these phenomena and provide a set of sufficient conditions for the energy concentration that was predicted numerically in [K.A. Lurie, S.L. Weekes, Wave propagation and energy exchange in a spatio-temporal material composite with rectangular microstructure, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 314 (2006) 286–310].