AEOP REU: Rapidly Prototyping Two-Dimensional Materials with Acoustic Metamaterials
School: Engineering and Computing
Department: Materials Science and NanoEngineering
Two-dimensional (2D) materials exhibit a wide range of exotic wave phenomena, including flat bands, correlated states, and topological phases. These effects are at the heart of emerging technologies in communication, sensing, and quantum engineering [1]. However, discovering new 2D materials is slow and expensive: synthesizing each new structure and measuring its properties can take years. Acoustic metamaterials offer a faster and more intuitive route. By replacing electron wave packets with sound waves, we can recreate the same exotic wave phenomena found in 2D materials in a fully classical setting [2,3]. These tabletop analogs can be simulated in minutes, 3D-printed in hours, and experimentally measured within a day, making it possible to rapidly prototype and optimize new material designs.
This program will select two undergraduate students and two high school students as AEOP fellows. Fellows will design, simulate, fabricate, and measure acoustic metamaterials that mimic two-dimensional electronic systems. Using finite-element modeling software (COMSOL Multiphysics), the student will design lattices that support flat bands, localized edge modes, or moiré-like superlattice effects. These designs will then be 3D printed and characterized with microphones and acoustic transducers to map their resonant spectra and wave patterns. Potential projects include engineering monolayer moiré lattices, modelling obstructed atomic insulators, exploring momentum-space crystals, and realizing acoustic analogs of Wigner crystallization. Through this work, students will learn fundamental concepts in wave physics, materials design, and data analysis while completing a full research cycle that links theory, simulation, and experiment.
- Program Start Date: May 25, 2026
- Program End Date: July 31, 2026
- Program Length: 10 weeks
- Application Deadline: March 1, 2026
Additional Information:
$6,000 stipend for ten weeks of REU
Program Contact:
For further information regarding this program, please contact Dr. Harris Pirie at harris.pirie@rice.edu or Boris Yakobson at biy@rice.edu.
Faculty Program Director
