Wave propagating in multilayers composed of piezo electric and piezo magnetic layers

In this paper, a study of effective parameters and wave properties of a slab of an artificial material comprised of alternating piezomagnetic and piezoelectric layers is presented. This kind of composite structure features new functionalities including effective magneto-electric coupling nonexistent in either constituent layer. In the first section, the equations of propagation of hybrid elasto-electro-magnetic waves in the equivalent homogeneous medium are derived by using a double scale method based on the periodical homogeneization. The wave length is considered to be much greater than the layer spatial periodicity and electromagnetic retardation is not taken into account. In the second section, dispersion relations for the hybrid waves travelling in a slab with previously established effective parameters are obtained. It was shown that although all three components, mechanic, electric and magnetic, contribute to the overall oscillatory behavior, the wave is predominantly elastic. At the same time, such composite media demonstrate double tunability, electric via the piezoelectric phase and magnetic through the piezomagnetic one, and can be regarded as novel functional materials.