Simultaneous complete elastic and electromagnetic band gaps in periodic structures

We study elastic and electromagnetic properties in periodic structures and present “deaf and blind” structures, i.e. materials having simultaneous complete phononic and photonic band gaps, that is, transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) electromagnetic waves, pure shear elastic waves, and mixed shear and dilatation elastic waves, cannot propagate within these structures. These composite materials can control the flow of light and sound at the same time. The existence of complete gaps for electromagnetic and elastic waves can lead to the simultaneous localization of light and sound, a novel phenomena that can have strong influence on photon–phonon interactions. We study the dependence of the simultaneous and complete gaps on material parameters to provide design guidelines on how to create these photonic–phononic crystals. PACS 78.66.Sq; 78.20.Bh; 63.20.-e