Explorations into the Dynamics of Maxwell Lattices

In this invited talk, I will describe our recent collaborative studies into the dynamics of a class of mechanical metamaterial referred to as Maxwell lattices. Maxwell lattices are mechanical structures on the verge of instability, and they have drawn interest due to their capacity to support topologically protected, zero-energy modes of quasi-static deformation. Within this scope, I will show new phenomena observed in Maxwell lattices including: synthetically non-Hermitian deformation fields, the time evolution of said fields; backscattering free edge wave transport; and the interplay of finite energy thresholds with topologically protected localized modes, and their implications for active, and dynamic material phase transformation.