Acoustic Prism

EPFL scientists have invented a new type of 'acoustic prism? that can split a sound into its constituent frequencies. Their acoustic prism has applications in sound detection. Almost 400 years ago, Newton showed that a prism could split white light into the colors of the rainbow, with each colour corresponding to a different wave frequency. Such an 'optical prism? relies on a physical phenomenon (refraction) to split light into its constituent frequencies. Now, a prism exists for sound. Hervé Lissek and his team at EPFL have invented an "acoustic prism" that splits sound into its constituent frequencies using physical properties alone. Its applications in sound detection are published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.