Airborne Minnaert-Like Resonance of an Air-Filled Elasto-Bubble

Abstract

Deep-subwavelength acoustic resonators are key building blocks of acoustic metamaterials, yet achieving bubble-like resonances in air remains challenging because the Minnaert mechanism relies on the inertia of a surrounding liquid. Here we demonstrate that air-filled soft elastomer shells, termed elasto-bubbles, realize an airborne analogue of the Minnaert resonator. Using impedance-tube measurements together with the theory of layered-bubble scattering, we show that these soft hollow capsules sustain strong monopolar resonances despite being deeply subwavelength. Their resonance frequency, transmission dip, and absorption are quantitatively captured, without adjustable parameters, by a model accounting for shell elasticity and viscoelasticity. Because shell radius and thickness can be tuned independently during fabrication, elasto-bubbles provide a simple and versatile platform for airborne acoustic metamaterials, resonant absorbers, and acoustic filters.