Observation of Ultra-High-Q Resonators in the Ultrasound via Bound States in the Continuum

The confinement of waves in open systems represents a fundamental phenomenon extensively explored across various branches of wave physics. Recently, significant attention is directed toward bound states in the continuum (BIC), a class of modes that are trapped but do not decay in an otherwise unbounded continuum. Here, the theoretical investigation and experimental demonstration of the existence of quasi-bound states in the continuum (QBIC) for ultrasonic waves are achieved by leveraging an elastic Fabry–Pérot metasurface resonator. Several intriguing properties of the ultrasound quasi-bound states in the continuum that are robust to parameter scanning are unveiled, and experimental evidence of a remarkable Q-factor of 350 at ≈1 MHz frequency, far exceeding the state-of-the-art using a fully acoustic underwater system is presented. The findings contribute novel insights into the understanding of BIC for acoustic waves, offering a new paradigm for the design of efficient, ultra-high Q-factor ultrasound devices.