Dynamic visualization of surface acoustic waves on a two-dimensional phononic crystal

Surface acoustic wave propagation on a microscopic two-dimensional phononic crystal consisting of a square lattice of holes is imaged in two dimensions and in real time at frequencies up to 1 GHz by means of pulsed ultrashort optical excitation and detection. The acoustic dispersion relation obtained by spatiotemporal Fourier transforms shows the opening of stop bands at the zone boundaries for surface waves traveling parallel to the phononic crystal axes. We detect pronounced Bloch harmonics above the stop band, and reveal the spatial mode distributions at different frequencies. We also observe phonon collimation for frequencies at which the constant-frequency surfaces become square in shape.