Ultra-soft Solids Bridge Kelvin and Rayleigh Waves, Enabling Soft Diagnostics
Harvard researchers report that ultra-soft solids like gels and biological tissue can support wake-like waves that interpolate between the classical Kelvin patterns in liquids and Rayleigh waves in solids, revealing a direct link between wave dynamics and material softness; this could enable non-invasive “soft diagnostics” to assess tissue stiffness and potentially detect tumors.