Wave Scattering at temporal interfaces with spatial-translation-symmetry mismatch
Temporal interfaces enable wave manipulation through broken time-translation symmetry, but conventional formulations generally assume that spatial-translation symmetry is preserved across the interface. Here we consider temporal interfaces between periodic media with mismatched spatial symmetries. It is discovered that the reciprocal-lattice vectors of the pre- and post-switching media enter a generalized quasi-momentum-matching condition, giving rise to reciprocal-lattice-assisted wave-vector conversion. We then develop a multichannel temporal-scattering theory and validate it in one- and two-dimensional elastic lattices. A single incident Bloch mode can thereby excite multiple post-interface Bloch modes with distinct wave vectors and frequencies, a response inaccessible at conventional temporal interfaces. These results establish symmetry mismatch as a new degree of freedom for simultaneous control of wave vector and frequency in time-modulated periodic media.