Efficient array beam forming by spatial filtering for ultrasound B-mode imaging

This paper proposes an efficient array beam-forming method using spatial matched filtering (SMF) for ultrasonic imaging. In the proposed method, ultrasonic waves are transmitted from an array subaperture with fixed transmit focus as in conventional array imaging. At receive, radio frequency echo signals from each receive channel are passed through a spatial matched filter that is constructed based on the system transmit-receive spatial impulse response. The filtered echo signals are then summed without time delays. The filter concentrates and spatially registers the echo energy from each element so that the pulse-echo impulse response of the summed output is focused with acceptably low side lobes. Analytical beam pattern analysis and simulation results using a linear array show that this spatial filtering method can improve lateral resolution and contrast-to-noise ratio as compared with conventional dynamic receive focusing (DRF) methods. Experimental results with a linear array are consistent but point out the need to address additional practical issues. Spatial filtering is equivalent to synthetic aperture methods that dynamically focus on both transmit and receive throughout the field of view. In one common example of phase aberrations, the SMF method was degraded to a degree comparable to conventional DRF methods.     

Simulation of ultrasonic focus aberration and correction through human tissue

Ultrasonic focusing in two dimensions has been investigated by calculating the propagation of ultrasonic pulses through cross-sectional models of human abdominal wall and breast. Propagation calculations used a full-wave k-space method that accounts for spatial variations in density, sound speed, and frequency-dependent absorption and includes perfectly matched layer absorbing boundary conditions. To obtain a distorted receive wavefront, propagation from a point source through the tissue path was computed. Receive focusing used an angular spectrum method. Transmit focusing was accomplished by propagating a pressure wavefront from a virtual array through the tissue path. As well as uncompensated focusing, focusing that employed time-shift compensation and time-shift compensation after backpropagation was investigated in both transmit and receive and time reversal was investigated for transmit focusing in addition. The results indicate, consistent with measurements, that breast causes greater focus degradation than abdominal wall. The investigated compensation methods corrected the receive focus better than the transmit focus. Time-shift compensation after backpropagation improved the focus from that obtained using time-shift compensation alone but the improvement was less in transmit focusing than in receive focusing. Transmit focusing by time reversal resulted in lower sidelobes but larger mainlobes than the other investigated transmit focus compensation methods.     

Time reversal in ultrasound focusing transmitters and receivers

The ability of a single-channel time reversal acoustic systems to focus and receive ultrasound radiation is considered. The basic element of these systems is a liquid-filled acoustic reverberator. Two types of the reverberators have been experimentally studied; one of them is a thin-wall cylindrical balloon used in ultrasound catheters for treatment of cardiac fibrillation, and the other consists of plane-parallel foil layers. It is demonstrated that such systems can effectively focus ultrasound using only one radiation channel. Random deformation of balloon walls and foil layers leads to a noticeable improvement of focusing quality and helps to overcome the limitations imposed by a spatial symmetry of a system. The use of a binary radiation mode increases the focal field intensity as compared to the conventional mode. The possibility of spatial localization of external sources with the use of the time reversal focusing system as a receiver is demonstrated.     

Mechanisms for saturation of nonlinear pulsed and periodic signals in focused acoustic beams

Acoustic fields of powerful ultrasound sources with Gaussian spatial apodization and initial excitation in the form of a periodic wave or single pulse are examined based on the numerical solution of the Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov equation. The influence of nonlinear effects on the spatial structure of focused beams, as well as on the limiting values of the acoustic field parameters is compared. It is demonstrated that pressure saturation in periodic fields is mainly due to the effect of nonlinear absorption at a shock front, while in pulsed fields is due to the effect of nonlinear refraction. The limiting attainable values for the peak positive pressure in periodic fields turned out to be higher than the analogous values in pulsed acoustic fields. The total energy in a beam of periodic waves decreases with the distance from the source faster than in the case of a pulsed field, but it becomes concentrated within much smaller spatial region in the vicinity of the focus. These special features of nonlinear effect manifestation provide an opportunity to use pulsed beams for more efficient delivery of wave energy to the focus and to use periodic beams for attaining higher values of pressure in the focal region.     

Near-field time-reversal amplification

The spatial resolution of the focused field of a classical time-reversal mirror has a wavelength-order lambda diffraction limit. Previously reported results for subwavelength focus require either the full knowledge of the original source or the evanescent waves in the near field. Here it is shown that subwavelength focusing can be achieved without a priori knowledge of the original probe source. If the field is recorded at a few wavelengths away from the probe source, where the amplitude of the near field is too low for subwavelength focusing, it is shown that the low amplitude near field can be amplified and the spatial resolution improved, using the near-field time reversal (NTR) procedure introduced here. The NTR is performed from the phase of the spatial spectrum of the field recorded on an array around the original probe source using an analytical continuation for the amplitude of the spatial spectrum. Following theory, lambda/20 resolution is experimentally demonstrated with audible acoustic wavefields in the air.     

球差透镜聚焦部分相干光束获得局域空心光束

基于Collins公式,研究了空间相干度为零阶贝塞耳函数的部分相干光通过球差透镜后在几何焦平面附近的光强分布情况.研究表明,通过改变部分相干光的光谱相干度,球差系数可以得到平顶光束和局域空心光束.球差系数决定了最佳聚焦点的位置.当球差系数为正时,最佳聚焦点随着球差系数的增大向远离透镜的方向运动,甚至超过几何焦点;当球差系数为负时,最佳聚焦点随着球差系数绝对值的增大向靠近透镜方向移动.另外,在正负球差绝对值相等时,光强分布以几何焦点相对称.     

Experimental demonstration of noninvasive transskull adaptive focusing based on prior computed tomography scans

Developing minimally invasive brain surgery by high-intensity focused ultrasound beams is of great interest in cancer therapy. However, the skull induces strong aberrations both in phase and amplitude, resulting in a severe degradation of the beam shape. Thus, an efficient brain tumor therapy would require an adaptive focusing, taking into account the effects of the skull. In this paper, we will show that the acoustic properties of the skull can be deduced from high resolution CT scans and used to achieve a noninvasive adaptive focusing. Simulations have been performed with a full 3-D finite differences code, taking into account all the heterogeneities inside the skull. The set of signals to be emitted in order to focus through the skull can thus be computed. The complete adaptive focusing procedure based on prior CT scans has been experimentally validated. This could have promising applications in brain tumor hyperthermia but also in transcranial ultrasonic imaging.     

Dynamics of topological multipoles: I. High-order nonparaxial singular beams

Approximate boundary conditions for matching the high-order nonparaxial and paraxial singular beams propagating through free space or through a homogeneous isotropic medium are formulated. It is found that the nonparaxial and paraxial beams have almost the same structure both in the vicinity of the focal caustic and away from it. In the intermediate zone, the beam profiles are distorted, and a phase mismatch arises and increases with increasing mode order. The combined nonparaxial singular beams are devised, and their dynamics is studied. It is shown that the problem of matching the paraxial and nonparaxial wave functions may be reformulated as a problem of the phase matching for nonparaxial wave function. Such a problem is similar to the mode-dispersion problem and is unsolvable in terms of a linear problem for the entire optical axis. Thus, it makes sense to discuss either the precise matching of the paraxial and nonparaxial beams within small spatial zones or an approximate matching away from the focal plane but at long distances along the optical axis.     

Study on polarization effect of azimuthally polarized LG beam in high NA Lens system

Based on vector diffraction theory, the intensity distributions of azimuthally polarized double-ring-shaped higher order beams near the focus are calculated numerically. It is shown that a subwavelength focal hole with a quite long depth of focus, multiple focal holes are achieved near the focus, when tuning β (is the ratio of the pupil radius to the beam waist) in the focal plane for different modes under tight focusing through high NA lens. Such kind of beams plays an important role in optical trapping, laser cutting and optical manipulation applications.     

Sound focusing in rooms: the time-reversal approach

New perspectives in audible range acoustics, such as virtual sound space creation and active noise control, rely on the ability of the rendering system to recreate precisely a desired sound field. This ability to control sound in a given volume of a room is directly linked to the capacity to focus acoustical energy both in space and time. However, sound focusing in rooms remains a complicated problem, essentially because of the multiple reflections on obstacles and walls occurring during propagation. In this paper, the technique of time-reversal focusing, well known in ultrasound, is experimentally applied to audible range acoustics. Compared to classical focusing techniques such as delay law focusing, time reversal appears to considerably improve quality of both temporal and spatial focusing. This so-called super-resolution phenomenon is due to the ability of time reversal to take into account all of the different sound paths between the emitting antenna and the focal point, thus creating an adaptive spatial and temporal matched filter for the considered propagation medium. Experiments emphasize the strong robustness of time-reversal focusing towards small modifications in the medium, such as people in motion or temperature variations. Sound focusing through walls using the time-reversal approach is also experimentally demonstrated.     

大数值孔径光子筛偏振特性研究

根据角谱理论建立不同偏振照明条件下的光子筛矢量衍射模型。在此基础上,对入射光分别为线偏振光、径向偏振光、切向偏振光三种特殊偏振状态下的光子筛聚焦光强分布进行了模拟分析。研究结果表明,对于大数值孔径光子筛,入射光的偏振特性将对光子筛聚焦光强分布产生巨大影响。线偏振光将使聚焦光斑沿偏振方向拉伸,切向偏振光产生的聚焦光斑具有"中空"结构,而径向偏振光所产生的聚焦光斑呈较为规则的圆形,且其焦深优于线偏照明情况。在激光直写及高分辨成像等光子筛典型应用中采用径向偏振照明将进一步提高系统分辨力。     

In situ measurement of three-dimensional ion densities in focused femtosecond pulses

We image spatial distributions of Xeq+ ions in the focus of a laser beam of ultrashort, intense pulses in all three dimensions, with a resolution of approximately 3 microm and approximately 12 microm in the two transverse directions. This allows for studying ionization processes without spatially averaging ion yields. Our in situ ion imaging is also useful to analyze focal intensity profiles and to investigate the transverse modal purity of tightly focused beams of complex light. As an example, the intensity profile of a Hermite-Gaussian beam mode HG1,0 recorded with ions is found to be in good agreement with optical images.     

平面波超声成像中的波束合成方法研究进展*

平面波成像通过单次全孔径发射-接收即可获取整幅图像,将成像帧频显著地提升至1000帧/秒以上。然而,平面波成像过程中发射的非聚焦波束将导致回波信号信噪比降低,进而使图像的分辨率和对比度变差。通过多角度相干复合成像技术可以改善平面波成像的图像质量,但是会以牺牲帧频为代价。因此研究人员们开始将新型波束合成技术引入平面波成像中,例如自适应波束合成、基于逆问题求解的波束合成及基于深度学习的波束合成方法等,以期实现图像质量和成像帧频间更好的权衡。该文综述了平面波成像中的新型波束合成方法领域的研究进展,并对该应用进行了总结和展望。     

天光一号打靶聚焦系统的研制

 介绍了在天光一号MOPA光学角多路系统中，将6束KrF准分子激光引入靶室的方法以及聚焦系统的研制。用紫外CCD相机测得6束激光聚到平面靶上的焦斑直径为290μm，靶上的功率密度达到8×10¹² W/cm²。     

超声聚焦探头在固体中辐射声场的动态光弹测量方法

超声聚焦探头在声场聚焦区域具有很高的检测灵敏度和分辨力,是工业超声检测中常用的探头。聚焦探头在固体中的聚焦特性直接影响检测效果,其传统测量方法通过水中聚焦参数间接换算而来,结果存在一定的误差。动态光弹法可以直接观测透明固体中的探头辐射声场,具有直观、无反射体或水听器的浸入影响、全场观测等特征。进一步采用圆偏振光并结合Senarmont补偿法,可精确测量透明固体中探头辐射声场的绝对应力分布,给出聚焦探头在固体中的聚焦参数,包括焦距、焦柱长度和焦斑宽度。实验测量结果与有限元仿真计算及小球反射法测量结果吻合较好,表明了动态光弹法定量测量聚焦探头辐射声场的可行性。     

Multifocus with small size, uniform intensity, and nearly circular symmetry

We investigate in detail the focusing properties of the composite vector beam (CVB) composed of two orthogonally linearly polarized beams with inhomogeneous polarization modulation. By optimizing the modulation factor, a multifocus with excellent quality is obtained, where the sizes of each focus are fairly smaller than that of the focusing spot of a radially polarized beam, the uniformity in the intensity of the focal spots is as high as 1, and the distributions of each focal spot have nearly circular symmetry. In order to decrease the power loss of the incident beam, the CVB formed by an annular beam is demonstrated as the substitute for the optimized CVB formed by a Gaussian beam. This work is important for high-resolution and high-speed imaging in biology and micro-nanofabrication.     

Focusing of a Flat Left-Handed Metamaterial Lens in a Heterogeneous and Lossy Medium

For applications such as near-field target detection and tumor hyperthermia with a fiat left-handed metamaterial （LHM） lens, a microwave will be focused in the heterogeneous and lossy medium. Different from the focusing of a fiat LHM lens in vacuum as reported in most previous studies, the medium loss and heterogeneity will affect the focusing performance of the LHM lens. Numerical simulations indicate that the medium loss will degrade the focusing resolution, while the heterogeneity of random variability within ±30% will affect the focusing resolution to a limited extent. Both the loss and heterogeneity of the medium will shift the focal point away from the image plane. When focusing in a medium with different permittivity values, an LHM lens will also have different focusing resolutions due to different electric thicknesses.     

A parametric study of error in the parabolic approximation of focused axisymmetric ultrasound beams

The parabolic approximation results in a tractible model for studying ultrasound beams, but the limits of validity of the approximation are often presented only qualitatively. In this work the most common model for axisymmetric ultrasound beam propagation, the Kuznetsov-Zabolotskaya-Khokhlov equation, is directly compared with the more general Westervelt equation with regard to diffractive and absorptive effects in continuous wave beams. The parametric study compares the solutions of the two models as a function of source frequency and focusing geometry using peak focal pressure, the axial location at which that peak occurs, and the loss due to absorption as metrics.     

部分相干光被环形透镜聚焦而产生的焦移

 从理论上研究部分相干光被一环形透镜聚焦，在焦点附近的轴上点的光强分布。研究结果表明，当部分相干光被一环形透镜聚焦时，最大聚焦光强不在几何焦点，而是位于透镜与几何焦点之间，出现焦移现象。并且，焦移量不仅依赖于透镜外半径的菲涅耳数，还依赖于部分相干光的空间相干度和中心拦截比。透镜的菲涅耳数越小，焦移越大；部分相干光的空间相干度越低，焦移越大。当菲涅耳数一定时，环形透镜的中心拦截比越大，焦移越大；当空间相干度很小时，情况就变得比较复杂。     

界面条件下线型超声相控阵声场特性研究

开展了界面条件下线型超声相控阵声场特性的研究.将带有楔块的超声相控阵问题合理简化为液固界面的情况进行讨论.根据射线声学理论,计算了单阵元在液固界面存在时的辐射声场,进而推导了聚焦法则,得到了超声线型阵在液固界面存在时的声场、位移场表达式.对安装在楔块上的相控阵换能器的辐射声场进行了仿真,并讨论了聚焦对换能器轴向和横向声场的影响,结果表明利用聚焦能提高分辨率和灵敏度,但聚焦区域之外声束性能更差,在实际检测中要合理利用聚焦. 关键词： 超声相控阵 界面 声场 聚焦