In the modern times, there has been a growing interest in micro- and nanotechnology. The advances in nanotechnology give rise to new applications and new types of materials with unique electromagnetic and mechanical properties. The process of communication involves the transmission of information from one location to another. As we have seen, modulation is used to encode the information onto a carrier wave, and may involve analog or digital methods. It is only the characteristics of the carrier wave which determine how the signal will propagate over any significant distance. Wave propagation is any of the ways in which waves travel. With respect to the direction of the oscillation relative to the propagation direction, we can distinguish between longitudinal wave and transverse waves. For electromagnetic waves, propagation may occur in a vacuum as well as in a material medium. An electromagnetic wave is created by a local disturbance in the electric and magnetic fields. From its origin, the wave will propagate outwards in all directions. If the medium in which it is propagating (air for example) is the same everywhere, the wave will spread out uniformly in all directions. Wave Propagation in Materials for Modern Applications is devoted to the modern methods in electrodynamics and acoustics, which have been developed to describe wave propagation in these modern materials and nanodevices.

In the recent decades, there has been a growing interest in micro- and nanotechnology. The advances in nanotechnology give rise to new applications and new types of materials with unique electromagnetic and mechanical properties. This book is devoted to the modern methods in electrodynamics and acoustics, which have been developed to describe wave propagation in these modern materials and nanodevices. The book consists of original works of leading scientists in the field of wave propagation who produced new theoretical and experimental methods in the research field and obtained new and important results. The first part of the book consists of chapters with general mathematical methods and approaches to the problem of wave propagation. A special attention is attracted to the advanced numerical methods fruitfully applied in the field of wave propagation. The second part of the book is devoted to the problems of wave propagation in newly developed metamaterials, micro- and nanostructures and porous media. In this part the interested reader will find important and fundamental results on electromagnetic wave propagation in media with negative refraction index and electromagnetic imaging in devices based on the materials. The third part of the book is devoted to the problems of wave propagation in elastic and piezoelectric media. In the fourth part, the works on the problems of wave propagation in plasma are collected. The fifth, sixth and seventh parts are devoted to the problems of wave propagation in media with chemical reactions, in nonlinear and disperse media, respectively. And finally, in the eighth part of the book some experimental methods in wave propagations are considered. It is necessary to emphasize that this book is not a textbook. It is important that the results combined in it are taken “from the desks of researchers“. Therefore, I am sure that in this book the interested and actively working readers (scientists, engineers and students) will find many interesting results and new ideas.

In the recent decades, there has been a growing interest in micro- and nanotechnology. The advances in nanotechnology give rise to new applications and new types of materials with unique electromagnetic and mechanical properties. This book is devoted to the modern methods in electrodynamics and acoustics, which have been developed to describe wave propagation in these modern materials and nanodevices. The book consists of original works of leading scientists in the field of wave propagation who produced new theoretical and experimental methods in the research field and obtained new and important results. The first part of the book consists of chapters with general mathematical methods and approaches to the problem of wave propagation. A special attention is attracted to the advanced numerical methods fruitfully applied in the field of wave propagation. The second part of the book is devoted to the problems of wave propagation in newly developed metamaterials, micro- and nanostructures and porous media. In this part the interested reader will find important and fundamental results on electromagnetic wave propagation in media with negative refraction index and electromagnetic imaging in devices based on the materials. The third part of the book is devoted to the problems of wave propagation in elastic and piezoelectric media. In the fourth part, the works on the problems of wave propagation in plasma are collected. The fifth, sixth and seventh parts are devoted to the problems of wave propagation in media with chemical reactions, in nonlinear and disperse media, respectively. And finally, in the eighth part of the book some experimental methods in wave propagations are considered. It is necessary to emphasize that this book is not a textbook. It is important that the results combined in it are taken “from the desks of researchers“. Therefore, I am sure that in this book the interested and actively working readers (scientists, engineers and students) will find many interesting results and new ideas.

Wave propagation is any of the ways in which waves travel. With respect to the direction of the oscillation relative to the propagation direction, we can distinguish between longitudinal wave and transverse waves. For electromagnetic waves, propagation may occur in a vacuum as well as in a material medium. Other wave types cannot propagate through a vacuum and need a transmission medium to exist. In the recent decades, there has been a growing interest in micro- and nanotechnology. The advances in nanotechnology give rise to new applications and new types of materials with unique electromagnetic and mechanical properties. Wave Propagation in Materials and Structures is devoted to the modern methods developed to describe wave propagation in modern materials and structures. The book contains original works of prominent scientists in the field of wave propagation who produced new theoretical and experimental methods in the research field and obtained new and important results. Elastic wave propagation has been used for years for assessment of the structural integrity of engineering materials. The advantage it deals is the direct association to elastic properties, the quite easy application through commercial equipment along with numerous empirical correlations between pulse velocity and material strength or quality in general. Advanced features like frequency dependence of wave parameters may further improve the characterisation capacity. Concrete materials because of their intrinsic microstructure, which is enhanced by the existence of damage-induced cracking, demonstrate a complicated behavior relating to the propagation of pulses of different frequencies. The different wave lengths interact with inhomogeneities according to their size and therefore, leave their signature on the phase velocity and attenuation versus frequency curves. Although experimental measurements are troublesome in concrete structures, mainly due to attenuation of high frequencies, it is suggested that, whenever possible, application of different frequencies can provide a more detailed insight on the internal condition of the structure. This book intends to basic and advanced concepts of wave propagation in diverse material systems and structures. Such a text is necessary considering the multi-disciplinary nature of the subject. Therefore, actively working readers (scientists, engineers, students, as well as researchers and practitioners) will find many interesting results and new ideas in this book.

The book collects original and innovative research studies of the experienced and actively working scientists in the field of wave propagation which produced new methods in this area of research and obtained new and important results. Every chapter of this book is the result of the authors achieved in the particular field of research. The themes of the studies vary from investigation on modern applications such as metamaterials, photonic crystals and nanofocusing of light to the traditional engineering applications of electrodynamics such as antennas, waveguides and radar investigations.

Waves occur widely in nature and have innumerable commercial uses. Pressure waves are responsible for the transmission of speech, bow waves created by meteors can virtually ignite the earth's atmosphere, ultrasonic waves are used for medical imaging, and shock waves are used for the synthesis of new materials. This book provides a thorough, modern introduction to the study of linear and nonlinear waves. Beginning with fundamental concepts of motion, the book goes on to discuss linear and nonlinear mechanical waves, thermodynamics, and constitutive models. It covers gases, liquids, and solids as integral parts of the subject. Among the important areas of research and application are impact analysis, shock wave research, explosive detonation, nonlinear acoustics, and hypersonic aerodynamics. Graduate students, as well as professional engineers and applied physicists, will value this clear, comprehensive introduction to the study of wave phenomena.