Quantum analogous spin states of ultrasonic guided waves

Abstract

In quantum mechanics, spin is a physical property that dominates the topological behaviors. While manifesting the spin states they reveal complex interaction of physical parameters in a topological media. The guided waves’ inherent spin states are made of real physical spin angular momentum from the superposition of elastic waves. Thus, here the elastic spin state that naturally manifests by the ultrasonic guided waves in an elastic wave guide is explained through quantum analogous perspective. Guided wave modes are the superposition of two longitudinally polarized and two transverse polarized elastic wave potentials propagating in diverging and converging pattern. Spin nature of transverse waves is well known. Spin nature of longitudinal waves is also recently being explored. However, due to the unique modal superposition of guided Rayleigh-Lamb wave modes the physical understanding of spin state is incomplete for the guided waves in a bounded media. Unlike only one hybrid spin states described in earlier works, guided waves may manifest total six with four well defined hybrid spin states explicitly derived and explained in this article. These six spin states play crucial role in the physics of spin-momentum locking of guided waves. Two spin states originated from the interaction of similar potentials and four hybris spin states originated from the interaction of potentials with different directions of wave vector and polarization vector, as emerged in guided waves. Understanding from fundamentals and exploiting the phenomena of spin-momentum locking in guided waves may have several applications in nondestructive evaluation.