The study of guided waves in surfaces and thin supported films using surface Brillouin scattering and acoustic microscopy

This paper reviews the use of surface Brillouin scattering (SBS) and acoustic microscopy (AM) in studying the surface dynamics of solids in order to obtain information about the near-surface elastic properties of solids and thin supported films. The vibrational modes that are probed by these means include Rayleigh surface and pseudo-surface acoustic waves, longitudinal lateral waves (surface skimming bulk longitudinal waves) and various thin film guided modes, such as Sezawa and Love waves. SBS is the inelastic scattering of light, mediated by thermodynamic fluctuations in the surface elevation and near surface elastic strains. The scattering cross-section is conveniently expressed in terms of Fourier domain elastodynamic Green's functions. AM depends on the insonification of a surface through a coupling fluid, and the resulting excitation and subsequent decay of the various surface modes. The complex reflectivity of the fluid-loaded surface, and the line and point force surface Green's functions are invoked in the interpretation of different modalities of AM, yielding much the same information about the surface dynamics. The focus in this paper is on the Green's function approach. A number of illustrative examples, drawn from the authors' research, are provided.     

The attenuation of rayleigh surface waves by surface roughness

This paper presents a calculation of the attenuation length of Rayleigh surface waves in the presence of surface roughness. We consider Rayleigh waves on the surface of a semi-infinite isotropic elastic continuum, and the method we use produces the contribution to the attenuation rate proportional to the square of the rms amplitude of the roughness. We obtain explicit expressions for the contribution to the attenuation rate from roughness-induced scattering into bulk transverse and longitudinal acoustic waves, and into Rayleigh waves. Our derivation makes use of a Green's function method. When the wavelength λ of the Rayleigh wave is long compared to the transverse correlation length a that characterizes the surface roughness, all contributions to the attenuation rate are proportional to the fifth power of the frequency. When λ is comparable to or smaller than a, the attenuation constant varies more slowly with frequency. For a model of the surface roughness, we present numerical calculations of the relative magnitude and frequency dependence of the various contributions to the attenuation rate. The Green's functions used here may be applied to a number of calculations. A derivation of their form is provided in an Appendix.     

Scattering of a scalar wave from a two-dimensional randomly rough Neumann surface

We present a reciprocity and unitarity preserving formulation of the scattering of a scalar plane wave from a two-dimensional, randomly rough surface on which the Neumann boundary condition is satisfied. The theory is formulated on the basis of the Rayleigh hypothesis in terms of a single-particle Green's function G(q_‖|k_‖) for the surface electromagnetic waves that exist at the surface due to its roughness, where k_‖ and q_‖ are the projections on the mean scattering plane of the wave vectors of the incident and scattered waves, respectively. The specular scattering is expressed in terms of the average of this Green's function over the ensemble of realizations of the surface profile function (G(q_‖|k_‖)). The Dyson equation satisfied by (G(q_‖|k_‖)) is presented, and the properties of the solution are discussed, with particular attention to the proper self-energy in terms of which the averaged Green's function is expressed. The diffuse scattering is expressed in terms of the ensemble average of a two-particle Green's function, which is the product of two single-particle Green's functions. The Bethe-Salpeter equation satisfied by the averaged two-particle Green's function is presented, and properties of its solution are discussed. In the small roughness limit, and with the irreducible vertex function approximated by the sum of the contribution from the maximally-crossed diagrams, which represent the coherent interference between all time-reversed scattering sequences, the solution of the Bethe-Salpeter equation predicts the presence of enhanced backscattering in the angular dependence of the intensity of the waves scattered diffusely.     

Scattering of bulk acoustic waves with different polarizations on a statistically rough free surface of a solid at oblique incidence

In the first Born approximation of the perturbation theory by a Green's function method developed by Maradudin, Mills [7] and Kosachev, Lokhov, Chukov [8,9] the problem of scattering bulk acoustic waves with different polarizations at oblique incidence on a statistically rough free boundary of an isotropic solid was solved. When the correlation function of the surface roughness is of a Gaussian form, the expressions for the transformation energy factor of the incident wave in the scattered volume and surface Rayleigh waves with respect to polarization, frequency and grazing angle of the incident wave as well as the roughness parameters and the Poisson coefficient of the medium were obtained. These results are helpful in accounting for the experiments on residual losses [15–17].     

Numerical simulation of the ultrasonic waves generated by ring-shaped laser illumination patterns

The generation of ultrasound in aluminum plate subjected to ring-shaped laser beam illumination has been studied quantitatively by using the finite element method. The superposition effects of surface acoustic waves on the top surface and the bulk ultrasonic waves on the rear surface of specimen have been obtained in a single simulation. The typical displacement profiles of the bulk ultrasonic wave at various depths along the central axis of the ring are obtained for three different radii, and the effect of the ring radius on the focal depths of the compression and shear mode are determined. The numerical results confirm that the focal depth of a bulk acoustic mode is determined by the directivity patterns of the acoustic mode generated by point-like laser sources via a thermoelastic mechanism, which depends on the physical constants of elastic medium.     

Probing of laser-induced crack modulation by laser-monitored surface waves and surface skimming bulk waves

All-optical monitoring of the nonlinear motion of a surface-breaking crack is reported. Crack closing is induced by quasi-continuous laser heating, while Rayleigh surface acoustic pulses and bulk longitudinal surface skimming acoustic pulses are also generated and detected by lasers. By exploiting the strong dependence of the acoustic pulses reflection and transmission efficiency on the state-open or closed-of the contacts between the crack faces, the parametric modulation of ultrasonic pulses is achieved. It is observed that bulk acoustic waves skimming along the surface can be more sensitive to crack motion than Rayleigh surface waves.     

Calculation of ground vibration spectra from heavy military vehicles

The demand for reliable autonomous systems capable to detect and identify heavy military vehicles becomes an important issue for UN peacekeeping forces in the current delicate political climate. A promising method of detection and identification is the one using the information extracted from ground vibration spectra generated by heavy military vehicles, often termed as their seismic signatures. This paper presents the results of the theoretical investigation of ground vibration spectra generated by heavy military vehicles, such as tanks and armed personnel carriers. A simple quarter car model is considered to identify the resulting dynamic forces applied from a vehicle to the ground. Then the obtained analytical expressions for vehicle dynamic forces are used for calculations of generated ground vibrations, predominantly Rayleigh surface waves, using Green's function method. A comparison of the obtained theoretical results with the published experimental data shows that analytical techniques based on the simplified quarter car vehicle model are capable of producing ground vibration spectra of heavy military vehicles that reproduce basic properties of experimental spectra.     

矩形表面波探头声场的高斯声束叠加法

利用矩形压电晶片和有机玻璃楔块折射可激励出超声表面波,广泛用于固体近表面缺陷检测和材料特性测量.由于描述表面波三维声场的理论方法还鲜有报道,因而主要采用简化的表面波二维声场模型来定量分析这类问题.高斯声束模型近些年被广泛应用于解决超声体波传播的各种复杂问题,然而,目前还没有将其扩展应用到超声表面波的声场的计算中.通过结合表面波格林方程和矩形换能器的高斯声束模型,推导出基于高斯声束叠加的表面波三维声场解析解.进一步,将该方法与点源叠加的数值解进行了分析比较,计算结果表明表面波声场的高斯声束叠加方法在具有较好计算精度的同时,还具有更快的计算效率.     

Velocity and attenuation of scalar and elastic waves in random media: a spectral function approach

This paper investigates the scattering of scalar and elastic waves in two-phase materials and single-mineral-cubic, hexagonal, orthorhombic-polycrystalline aggregates with randomly oriented grains. Based on the Dyson equation for the mean field, explicit expressions for the imaginary part of Green's function in the frequency-wavenumber domain (ω, p), also known as the spectral function, are derived. This approach allows the identification of propagating modes with their relative contribution, and the computation of both attenuation and phase velocity for each mode. The results should be valid from the Rayleigh (low-frequency) to the geometrical optics (high-frequency) regime. Comparisons with other approaches are presented for both scalar and elastic waves.     

Effect of the illumination length on the statistical distribution of the field scattered from one-dimensional random rough surfaces: analytical formulae derived from the small perturbation method

We consider a dielectric plane surface with a local cylindrical perturbation illuminated by a monochromatic plane wave. The perturbation is represented by a random function assuming values with a Gaussian probability density with zero mean value. Outside the perturbation zone, the scattered field can be represented by a superposition of a continuous spectrum of outgoing plane waves. The stationary phase method leads to the asymptotic field, the angular dependence of which is given by the scattering amplitudes of the propagating plane waves. The small perturbation method applied to the Rayleigh integral and the boundary conditions gives a first-order approximation of the scattering amplitudes. We show that the real part and the imaginary part of the scattering amplitudes are Gaussian stochastic variables with zero mean values and unequal variances. The values of variances depend on the length of the perturbation zone. In most cases, the probability density function for the amplitude is a Hoyt distribution and the phase is not uniformly distributed between -π and π. The standard Rayleigh and uniform distributions are obtained for special values of the length and in the case of an infinite illumination length.     

Effect of the illumination length on the statistical distribution of the field scattered from one-dimensional random rough surfaces: analytical formulae derived from the small perturbation method

We consider a dielectric plane surface with a local cylindrical perturbation illuminated by a monochromatic plane wave. The perturbation is represented by a random function assuming values with a Gaussian probability density with zero mean value. Outside the perturbation zone, the scattered field can be represented by a superposition of a continuous spectrum of outgoing plane waves. The stationary phase method leads to the asymptotic field, the angular dependence of which is given by the scattering amplitudes of the propagating plane waves. The small perturbation method applied to the Rayleigh integral and the boundary conditions gives a first-order approximation of the scattering amplitudes. We show that the real part and the imaginary part of the scattering amplitudes are Gaussian stochastic variables with zero mean values and unequal variances. The values of variances depend on the length of the perturbation zone. In most cases, the probability density function for the amplitude is a Hoyt distribution and the phase is not uniformly distributed between –π and π. The standard Rayleigh and uniform distributions are obtained for special values of the length and in the case of an infinite illumination length.     

激光激发瑞利波检测表面倾斜缺陷的研究

研究激光激发瑞利波检测样品的表面倾斜缺陷。基于频域热弹耦合方程,采用有限元方法建立激光激发瑞利波检测倾斜缺陷的数值模型,研究倾斜缺陷的检测机理。数值计算含不同的长度及倾斜角度缺陷的样品中瞬态位移波形,分析瑞利波在倾斜缺陷处模式转换的过程,研究各种瑞利波的传播路径。在此基础上,研究缺陷宽度与材料黏性对瑞利波传播及缺陷检测的影响。结果表明:瑞利波在缺陷处产生的反射及透射瑞利波的到达观测点的时间可以检测缺陷位置和长度,瑞利波在缺陷的底部发生模式转换产生的切变波可以检测缺陷倾斜角度。数值结果和已有的实验结果一致,从而为表面倾斜缺陷的检测提供有效的理论依据。      

Reflectometry using longitudinal, shear and Rayleigh waves

A new technique of reflectometry using longitudinal, shear and Rayleigh waves is presented. Reflection coefficient as a function of angle incidence of an ultrasound beam with a finite beamwidth was measured for water-aluminum, water-brass, and water-glass interfaces. The measured values have matched very favorably with the results of numerical calculations based on the angular spectrum of waves method. It has been shown that the speeds of longitudinal, shear and Rayleigh waves of a solid can be determined very accurately by measuring a spectacularly reflected signal versus angle of incidence.     

Finite element modeling of the interaction of laser-generated ultrasound with a surface-breaking notch in an elastic plate

The interaction of surface acoustic waves generated by laser line source in the thermoelastic regime with surface notches are investigated. The finite element method is used to establish the model of the transient displacement field for surface notches with various depths and orientation. The magnitude of the signal enhancement in the near field and the mechanism by which this occurs are explained. The positions of notches were evaluated by the reflected Rayleigh wave. The depths and orientations of the notches were also determined using a shear wave that was generated through mode conversion of a surface acoustic wave at the notch tip. The results agree with previously published experimental measurements.     

Dispersion and Attenuation of Surface Acoustic Waves of Various Polarizations on a Stress-Free Randomly Rough Surface of Solid

An approach to obtaining the dispersion equation of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) on a stress-free, randomly rough surface of an anisotropic elastic medium is suggested. The problem is solved in the approximation of a weakly rough surface using Green′s function technique. The dispersion and attenuation of sagittally and shear horizontally (SH) polarized SAWs are investigated both analytically and numerically for a three-dimensionally (3D) and a two-dimensionally (2D) rough surface of an isotropic medium. The results for 2D roughness are shown to be contained in the more general expressions for the 3D case, and the connection between the results for the 3D and the 2D cases is pointed out. Dispersion relations are derived for SAWs of both polarizations propagating in an arbitrary direction along a 2D rough surface. The SAW attenuation mechanisms are investigated at various incidence angles. It is concluded that all three mechanisms (viz. scattering into bulk transverse, longitudinal, and Rayleigh surface acoustic waves) are involved for the Rayleigh and SH polarized SAWs at certain incidence angles, whereas at the other angles only some of the mechanisms are. The criterion for the existence of SH polarized SAWs on a rough surface is considered. A possible increase of the SAW phase velocity on a rough surface compared with that for a flat boundary is discussed. In the limit λ a (where a is the roughness correlation length) simple explicit expressions for the phase velocities of Rayleigh and SH polarized SAWs are derived. A comparison of the results obtained herein with those of other workers is presented.     

Spin modes and layer magnetization for surface and impurity layer embedded in a ferromagnet

A theoretical study is made for the role of an impurity layer embedded within a semi-infinite ferromagnet in determining the spectra of (0 0 1) surface spin waves and the layer magnetization for the surface and impurity layer. The calculations are described using simultaneously a closed form of the spin-wave Green's function and the matching procedure in the random-phase approximation. Analytic expressions for the Green's functions are also derived in a low-temperature spin-wave approximation. The theoretical approach determines the bulk and evanescent spin fluctuation fields in the two-dimensional plane normal to the surface. The results are used to calculate the energies of localized modes associated with the impurity layer as well as with the surface. Numerical examples of the modes are given and they are found to exhibit various effects due to the interplay between the impurity layer and surface modes. The results derived from the dynamic correlation functions between a pair of spin operators at any two sites are employed to evaluate the spin deviation in the ferromagnet due to the localized modes associated with the surface and with the impurity layer obtained by means of the matching procedure. The correlation functions and the layer magnetization are then illustrated as function of the impurity layer distance from the surface for a given temperature.     

Scattering of a spherical wave by a small sphere: an elementary solution

Wave scattering by objects that are small compared to the wavelength (Rayleigh scattering) is usually studied for plane incident waves. However, knowledge of the full Green's function of the problem becomes necessary when the separation of scatterers from either an interface or each other is comparable to the scatterers' dimensions. Here, an elementary analytic solution is derived for diffraction of a spherical sound wave by a small, soft sphere. The approximate solution is obtained from asymptotic expansions of an exact solution, holds everywhere outside the sphere, and reduces to classical results due to Kelvin and Rayleigh in appropriate special cases.     

Wave based analysis of the Green's function for a layered cylindrical shell

Cylindrical shells composed of concentric layers may be designed to affect the way that elastic waves are generated and propagated, particularly when some layers are anisotropic. To aid the design process, the present work develops a wave based analysis of the Green's function for a layered cylindrical shell in which the response is given as a sum of waves propagating in the axial coordinate. The analysis assumes linear Hookean materials for each layer. It uses finite element discretizations in the radial coordinate and Fourier series expansions in the circumferential coordinate, leading to linear equations in the axial wavenumber domain that relate shell displacements and forces. Inversion to the axial domain is accomplished via a state-space formulation that is evaluated using residue integration. The resulting expression for the Green's function for each circumferential harmonic is a summation over the natural waves of the shell. The finite element discretization in the radial direction allows the approach to be used for arbitrarily thick shells. The approach is benchmarked to results from an isotropic shell and numerical examples are given for a shell composed of a fiber-reinforced material. The numerical examples illustrate the effect of fiber orientation on the Green's function.     

Spin Waves in a Surface-Diluted Quant um Spin system

A theoretical investigation of the effects of surface dilution on spin waves in a semi-infinite transverse Ising model (TIM) is presented. Within the framework of the double-time Green's function theory, the loctl density of spin-wave states is obtained by the application of the cluster-Bethe-lattice (CBL) method. Numerical calculations of paramagnetic phases reveal that surface dilution will lead to appearance of the localized spin-wave states whose frequencies are bulk independent while the corresponding density of states is a function of the exchange interactions. Increase of the bulk exchange interactions between the surface and the bulk spins tends to diminish the localized spin-wave states. Dependence of the local density of states on the concentration p of the magnetic atoms is similar with that in a three-dimensional infinite TIM which has been discussed in our previous paper.     

The spectroscopy of surface vibrations by atom scattering

The recent progress in the production of highly monochromatic atomic beams is opening new perspectives in surface physics, having paved the way for a full determination of the surface vibrational structure. After a discussion on the possible determination of Rayleigh wave dispersion curves from angular distributions exploiting the kinematical focussing effect, a short review is presented on the direct measurement of surface phonon dispersion curves, first achieved by Brusdeylins, Doak and Toennies in alkali halides, from time-of-flight (TOF) spectra of scattered He atoms. A comparison is made with the existing theories of surface phonons in ionic crystals. The state of the art in the theory of inelastic processes is briefly illustrated in order to discuss the theoretical interpretation of TOF spectra. The one-phonon energy loss spectra of He scattering from LiF(001) calculated for a hard corrugated surface model are found to be in general good agreement with the experimental TOF spectra. From such a comparison evidence is obtained that: i) one-phonon processes are predominant, and ii) in addition to Rayleigh waves important contributions to the inelastic scattering come from the surface-projected density of bulk phonons. Important effects due to inelastic resonances with surface bound states are put in evidence and explained by simple kinematical arguments. The possible observation of surface optical modes in NaF(001) is finally discussed.