The strange case of Negative Reflection

Abstract

In this paper we show for the first time the phenomenon of negative reflection in a simple mechanical structure. The latter is a grating of fixed inclusions embedded in a linear elastic matrix. Numerical analyses for out-of-plane shear waves demonstrate that there exist frequencies at which most of the incident energy is reflected at negative angles. The effect is symmetric with respect to a line that is not parallel to the normal direction to the grating structure. Simulations at different angles of incidence and computations of the energy fluxes show that negative reflection is achievable in a wide range of loading conditions.