Non-Local Elastic Lattices with $\mathcal{PT}$-Symmetry and Time Modulation: From Perfect Trapping to the Wave Boomerang Effect

Abstract

Wave motion is fundamentally constrained by the dispersion properties of the medium, often making it challenging -- or even impossible -- to guide wave packets along desired trajectories, particularly when wave inversion is required. The paper illustrates how one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) non-Hermitian elastic lattices with time-varying non-local feedback interactions offer unprecedented wave guidance. By relaxing the constraint of Hermiticity while preserving $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetry of the nonlocal interactions, it is herein built a framework where the dispersion transitions from positive to negative group velocity, passing through an intermediate regime characterized by a perfectly flat band across all momenta. This effect, realized within the unbroken $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric phase, is further enhanced by the time modulation of lattice parameters, thereby unlocking functionalities such as perfect trapping, where a wave packet is intentionally stopped, and the wave boomerang effect, where the wave packet is reversed or guided back to its initial position. The framework presented in this paper unlocks opportunities that extend beyond wave guidance, including information processing through dispersion engineering in elastic media.