Reflection and refraction of plane waves at the interface between piezoelectric and piezomagnetic media

The paper analyzes the reflection and refraction of a plane wave incidence obliquely at the interface between piezoelectric and piezomagnetic media. The materials are assumed to be transversely isotropic. Numerical calculations are performed for BaTiO3/CoFe2O4 material combination. Four cases, incidence of the coupled quasi-pressure (QP) and quasi-shear vertical (QSV) wave from BaTiO3 or CoFe2O4 media, are discussed. The reflection and transmission coefficients and energy coefficients varying with the incident angle are examined. Calculated results are verified by considering the energy conservation. Results show that the reflected and transmitted wave fields in the sagittal plane consist of six kinds of waves, i.e. the coupled QP and QSV waves, evanescent electroacoustic (EA) and magnetic potential (MP) waves in the piezoelectric medium (BaTiO3), evanescent magnetoacoustic (MA) and electric potential (EP) waves in the piezomagnetic medium (CoFe2O4), among which the EA, MA, MP and EP waves propagate along the interface. The most amount of the incident energy goes with the waves that are the same type as the incident wave, while the energy arising from wave mode conversion occupies a less part of the incident energy. The electric energy in BaTiO3 is higher than the magnetic energy in CoFe2O4; they both attain their maximum values at/before the critical angle. Critical angles have little effect on evanescent waves except when the total reflection takes place. These results would provide useful complementary information for magnetoelectric composite materials. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.