Wave Physics of the Graphene Lattice Emulated in a Ripple Tank

Using the example of graphene, we have extended the classic ripple tank experiment to illustrate the behavior of waves in periodic lattices. A loudspeaker driving air through a periodically perforated plate onto the tank’s water surface creates wave patterns that are in agreement with numerical simulations and are explained in terms of solid state theory. From an educational point of view, the experiment provides an illustrative example of the concepts of reciprocal space and symmetry.