Acoustic metamaterials are materials with artificially designed structures, which have characteristics that surpass the behavior of natural materials, such as negative refraction, anomalous Doppler effect, plane focusing, etc. This article mainly introduces and summarizes the related research progress of acoustic metamaterials in the past two decades, focusing on meta-atomic acoustic metamaterials, metamolecular acoustic metamaterials, meta-atomic clusters and metamolecule cluster acoustic metamaterials. Finally, the research overview and development trend of acoustic metasurfaces are briefly introduced.

This paper presents analysis on wave propagation and power flow in an acoustic metamaterial plate with lateral local resonance. The metamaterial is designed to have lateral local resonance systems attached to a homogeneous plate. Relevant theoretical analysis, numerical modelling and application prospect are presented. Results show that the metamaterial has two complete band gaps for flexural wave absorption and vibration attenuation. Damping can smooth and lower the metamaterial’s frequency responses in high frequency ranges at the expense of the band gap effect, and as an important factor to calculate the power flow is thoroughly investigated. Moreover, the effective mass density becomes negative and unbounded at specific frequencies. Simultaneously, power flow within band gaps are dramatically blocked from the power flow contour and power flow maps. Results from finite element modelling and power flow analysis reveal the working mechanism of the flexural wave attenuation and power flow blocked within the band gaps, where part of the flexural vibration is absorbed by the vertical resonator and the rest is transformed through four-link-mechanisms to the lateral resonators that oscillate and generate inertial forces indirectly to counterbalance the shear forces induced by the vibrational plate. The power flow is stored in the vertical and lateral local resonance, as well as in the connected plate.

RadiaBeam is developing a novel linear accelerator which produces both kilovoltage (~100 keV) X-rays for imaging, and megavoltage (6 to 20MeV) X-rays for therapy. We call this system the DEXITron: Dual Energy X-ray source for Imaging and Therapy. The Dexitron is enabled by an innovation in the electromagnetic design of the linac, which allows the output energy to be rapidly switched from high energy to low energy. In brief, the method involves switching the phase of the radiofrequency (RF) power by 180 degrees at some point in the linac such that, after that point, the linac decelerates the beam, rather than accelerating it. The Dexitron will have comparable cost to other linacs, and avoids the problems associated with current IGRT equipment.