Researchers have uncovered an unusual wave phenomenon that links engineered materials to principles found in ocean physics.

Waves bouncing around an irregularly shaped space typically follow increasingly unpredictable paths. Scientists have now shown that certain materials can produce the opposite effect, guiding waves into stable, repeating patterns instead of chaotic trajectories.

Researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) discovered this behavior in hyperbolic materials, whose unusual properties restrict the directions in which waves can travel. Their study, published in Nature Physics, identifies structures called “hyperbolic wave attractors” that could eventually help engineers control light, sound, and electromagnetic signals.