Non-reciprocal acoustics in a viscous environment

It is demonstrated that acoustic transmission through a phononic crystal with anisotropic solid scatterers becomes non-reciprocal if the background fluid is viscous. In an ideal (inviscid) fluid, the transmission along the direction of brokenP symmetry is asymmetric. This asymmetry is compatible with reciprocity since time-reversal symmetry (T symmetry) holds. Viscous losses breakT symmetry, adding a non-reciprocal contribution to the transmission coefficient. The non-reciprocal transmission spectra for a phononic crystal of metallic circular cylinders in water are experimentally obtained and analysed. The surfaces of the cylinders were specially processed in order to weakly breakP symmetry and increase viscous losses through manipulation of surface features. Subsequently, the non-reciprocal part of transmission is separated from its asymmetric reciprocal part in numerically simulated transmission spectra. The level of non-reciprocity is in agreement with the measure of brokenP symmetry. The reported study contradicts commonly accepted opinion that linear dissipation cannot be a reason leading to non-reciprocity. It also opens a way for engineering passive acoustic diodes exploring the natural viscosity of any fluid as a factor leading to non-reciprocity.