Nearfield broadband array design using a radially invariant modal expansion

This paper introduces an efficient parameterization for the nearfield broadband beamforming problem with a single parameter to focus the beamformer to a desired operating radius and another set of parameters to control the actual broadband beampattern shape. The parameterization is based on an orthogonal basis set of elementary beampatterns by which an arbitrary beampattern can be constructed. A set of elementary beamformers are then designed for each elementary beampattern and the desired beamformer is constructed by summing the elementary beamformers with frequency and source-array distance dependent weights. An important consequence of our result is that the beamformer can be factored into three levels of filtering: (i) beampattern independent elementary beamformers; (ii) beampattern shape dependent filters; and (iii) radial focusing filters where a single parameter can be adjusted to focus the array to a desired radial distance from the array origin. As an illustration the method is applied to the problem of producing a practical array design that achieves a frequency invariant beampattern over the frequency range of 1:10 (which is suitable for speech acquisition using a microphone array), and with the array focused either to farfield or nearfield where at the lowest frequency the radial distance to the source is only three wavelengths.     

Frequency-radial duality based photoacoustic image reconstruction

Photoacoustic image reconstruction algorithms are usually slow due to the large sizes of data that are processed. This paper proposes a method for exact photoacoustic reconstruction for the spherical geometry in the limiting case of a continuous aperture and infinite measurement bandwidth that is faster than existing methods namely (1) backprojection method and (2) the Norton-Linzer method [S. J. Norton and M. Linzer, "Ultrasonic reflectivity imaging in three dimensions: Exact inverse scattering solution for plane, cylindrical and spherical apertures," Biomedical Engineering, IEEE Trans. BME 28, 202-220 (1981)]. The initial pressure distribution is expanded using a spherical Fourier Bessel series. The proposed method estimates the Fourier Bessel coefficients and subsequently recovers the pressure distribution. A concept of frequency-radial duality is introduced that separates the information from the different radial basis functions by using frequencies corresponding to the Bessel zeros. This approach provides a means to analyze the information obtained given a measurement bandwidth. Using order analysis and numerical experiments, the proposed method is shown to be faster than both the backprojection and the Norton-Linzer methods. Further, the reconstructed images using the proposed methodology were of similar quality to the Norton-Linzer method and were better than the approximate backprojection method.     

Higher order differential-integral microphone arrays

This paper develops theory to design higher order directional microphone arrays. The proposed higher order designs have similar inter sensor spacings as traditional first and second order differential arrays. The Jacobi-Anger expansion is used to exploit the underlying structure of microphone signals from pairs of closely spaced sensors. Specifically, the difference and sum of these microphone signals are processed to design the novel directional array.     

The photocurrent response of human cones is fast and monophasic

Background  

The precise form of the light response of human cone photoreceptors in vivo has not been established with certainty. To investigate the response shape we compare the predictions of a recent model of transduction in primate cone photoreceptors with measurements extracted from human cones using the paired-flash electroretinogram method. As a check, we also compare the predictions with previous single-cell measurements of ground squirrel cone responses.     

Interior and exterior sound field control using two dimensional higher-order variable-directivity sources

Spatial sound reproduction systems aim to produce a desired sound field over a volume of space. At high frequencies, the number of loudspeakers required is prohibitive. This paper shows that the use of loudspeakers with up to Nth order directivity allows reproduction over N times the bandwidth and produces a significantly attenuated exterior sound field. If the constraint on exterior cancellation of the field is removed, reproduction is possible over approximately 2N times the bandwidth. The use of higher order loudspeakers thus allows a significant reduction in the number of loudspeaker units, at the expense of increased complexity in each unit. For completeness, results are included for the generation of an exterior field with or without cancellation of the interior field.     

Interior and exterior sound field control using general two-dimensional first-order sources

Reproduction of a given sound field interior to a circular loudspeaker array without producing an undesirable exterior sound field is an unsolved problem over a broadband of frequencies. At low frequencies, by implementing the Kirchhoff-Helmholtz integral using a circular discrete array of line-source loudspeakers, a sound field can be recreated within the array and produce no exterior sound field, provided that the loudspeakers have azimuthal polar responses with variable first-order responses which are a combination of a two-dimensional (2D) monopole and a radially oriented 2D dipole. This paper examines the performance of circular discrete arrays of line-source loudspeakers which also include a tangential dipole, providing general variable-directivity responses in azimuth. It is shown that at low frequencies, the tangential dipoles are not required, but that near and above the Nyquist frequency, the tangential dipoles can both improve the interior accuracy and reduce the exterior sound field. The additional dipoles extend the useful range of the array by around an octave.