Acoustic nonlinearity parameter tomography for biological tissues via parametric array from a circular piston source--theoretical analysis and computer simulations

The acoustic nonlinearity parameter B/A describes the nonlinear features of a medium and may become a novel parameter for ultrasonic tissue characterization. This paper presents a theoretical analysis for acoustic nonlinear parameter tomography via a parametric array. As two primary waves of different frequencies are radiated simultaneously from a circular piston source, a secondary wave at the difference frequency is generated due to the nonlinear interaction of the primary waves. The axial and radial distributions of sound pressure amplitude for the generated difference frequency wave in the near field are calculated by a superposition of Gaussian beams. The calculated results indicated that the difference frequency component of the parametric array grows linearly with distance from the piston source. It therefore provides a better source to do the acoustic nonlinearity parameter tomography because the fundamental and second harmonic signals both have a near field that goes through many oscillations due to diffraction. By using a finite-amplitude insert substitution method and a filtered convolution algorithm, a computer simulation for B/A tomography from the calculated sound pressure of the difference frequency wave is studied. For biological tissues, the sound attenuation is considered and compensated in the image reconstruction. Nonlinear parameter computed tomography (CT) images for several biological sample models are obtained with quite good quality in this study.     

Sound field of thermoacoustic tomography based on a modified finite-difference time-domain method

A modified finite-difference time-domain （FDTD） method is proposed for the sound field simulation of the thermoacoustic tomography （TAT） in the acoustic speed inhomogeneous medium. First, the basic equations of the TAT are discretized to difference ones by the FDTD. Then the electromagnetic pulse, the excitation source of the TAT, is modified twice to eliminate the error introduced by high frequency electromagnetic waves. Computer simulations are carried out to validate this method. It is shown that the FDTD method has a better accuracy than the commonly used time-of-flight （TOF） method in the TAT with the inhomogeneous acoustic speed. The error of the FDTD is ten times smaller than that of the TOF in the simulation for the acoustic speed difference larger than 50%. So this FDTD method is an efficient one for the sound field simulation of the TAT and can provide the theoretical basis for the study of reconstruction algorithms of the TAT in the acoustic heterogeneous medium.     

Investigation on Rijke pipe＇s acoustic characteristics by numerical simulation： modeling the pulsing flow field coupled the inner of pipe with its outer space

Based on the results of fluid dynamics, heat transfer and acoustics, a Computational Fluid Dynamics （CFD） method was utilized to study the acoustic characteristics and self-excited pulsation mechanism inside a Rijke pipe. To avoid settling the irrational boundary conditions of the finite-amplitude standing wave in the Rijke thermo-acoustic system, the simulation modeling in the flow field, which coupled the inner of pipe with its outer space, was carried out to replace the traditional way in form of internal flow field numerical investigations. A hypothesis for heat source in energy equation including the relationship on unsteady heat of air around heat source, oscillation pressure and oscillation velocity was presented. To reflect the essence of Rijke pipe, simulation on self-excited oscillation was conducted by means of its own pulsation of pressure, velocity and temperature. This method can make the convergence process steady and effectively avoid divergence. The physical phenomenon of the self-excited Rijke pipe was analyzed. Moreover, the mechanisms on the Rijke pipe＇s self-excited oscillation were explained. Based on this method, comparative researches on the acoustic characteristic of the Rijke pipe with different size and different shape of nozzle were performed. The simulation results agreed with the experimental data satisfactorily. The results show that this numerical simulation can be used to study the sound pressure of nozzle for the engineering application of Rijke pipes.     

Measuring derived acoustic power of an ultrasound surgical device in the linear and nonlinear operating modes

Objective and motivationThe method for measuring derived acoustic power of an ultrasound point source in the form of a sonotrode tip has been considered in the free acoustic field, according to the IEC 61847 standard. The main objective of this work is measuring averaged pressure magnitude spatial distribution of an sonotrode tip in the free acoustic field conditions at different electrical excitation levels and calculation of the derived acoustic power at excitation frequency (f₀ ≈ 25 kHz). Finding the derived acoustic power of an ultrasonic surgical device in the strong cavitation regime of working, even in the considered laboratory conditions (anechoic pool), will enable better understanding of the biological effects on the tissue produced during operation with the considered device.Experimental methodThe pressure magnitude spatial distribution is measured using B&;K 8103 hydrophone connected with a B&;K 2626 conditioning amplifier, digital storage oscilloscope LeCroy Waverunner 474, where pressure waveforms in the field points are recorded. Using MATLAB with DSP processing toolbox, averaged power spectrum density of recorded pressure signals in different field positions is calculated. The measured pressure magnitude spatial distributions are fitted with the appropriate theoretical models.Theoretical approachesIn the linear operating mode, using the acoustic reciprocity principle, the sonotrode tip is theoretically described as radially oscillating sphere (ROS) and transversely oscillating sphere (TOS) in the vicinity of pressure release boundary. The measured pressure magnitude spatial distribution is fitted with theoretical curves, describing the pressure field of the considered theoretical models. The velocity and displacement magnitudes with derived acoustic power of equivalent theoretical sources are found, and the electroacoustic efficiency factor is calculated. When the transmitter is excited at higher electrical power levels, the displacement magnitude of sonotrode tip is increased, and nonlinear behaviour in loading medium appears, with strong cavitation activity produced hydrodynamically. The presence of harmonics, subharmonics and ultraharmonics as a consequence of stable cavitation is evident in the averaged power spectral density. The cavitation noise with continuous frequency components is present as a consequence of transient cavitation. The averaged pressure magnitude at the frequency components of interest (discrete and continous) in the field points is found by calculating average power spectral density of the recorded pressure waveform signal using the welch method. The frequency band of interest where average power spectral density is calculated is in the range from 15 Hz up to 120 kHz due to measurement system restrictions. The novelty in the approach is the application of the acoustic reciprocity principle on the nonlinear system (sonotrode tip and bubble cloud) to find neccessary acoustic power of the equivalent acoustic source to produce the measured pressure magnitude in the field points at the frequency components of interest.ResultsIn the nonlinear operating mode, the ROS model for the considered sonotrode tip is chosen due to the better agreement between measurement results and theoretical considerations. At higher excitation levels, it is shown that the averaged pressure magnitude spatial distribution of discrete frequency components, produced due to stable cavitation, can be fitted in the far field with the inverse distance law. The reduced electroacoustic efficiency factor, calculated at excitation frequency component as ratio of derived acoustic power with applied electrical power, is reduced from 40% in the linear to 3% in the strong nonlinear operating mode. The derived acoustic power at other frequency components (subharmonic, harmonic and ultraharmonic) is negligible in comparison with the derived acoustic power at excitation frequency.Discussion and conclusionsThe sonotrode tip and loading medium are shown in the strong cavitation regime as the coupled nonlinear dynamical system radiating acoustic power at frequency components appearing in the spectrum. The bubble cloud in the strong nonlinear operating mode decreases the derived acoustic power significantly at the excitation frequency.     

Weak nonlinear propagation of sound in a finite exponential horn.

This article presents an approximate solution for weak nonlinear standing waves in the interior of an exponential acoustic horn. An analytical approach is chosen assuming one-dimensional plane-wave propagation in a lossless fluid within an exponential horn. The model developed for the propagation of finite-amplitude waves includes linear reflections at the throat and at the mouth of the horn, and neglects boundary layer effects. Starting from the one-dimensional continuity and momentum equations and an isentropic pressure-density relation in Eulerian coordinates, a perturbation analysis is used to obtain a hierarchy of wave equations with nonlinear source terms. Green's theorem is used to obtain a formal solution of the inhomogeneous equation which takes into account linear reflections at the ends of the horn, and the solution is applied to the nonlinear horn problem to yield the acoustic pressure for each order, first in the frequency and then in the time domain. In order to validate the model, an experimental setup for measuring fundamental and second harmonic pressures inside the horn has been developed. For an imposed throat fundamental level, good agreement is obtained between predicted and measured levels (fundamental and second harmonic) at the mouth of the horn.     

Vibro-acoustic radiation of rigid bodies oscillating at large amplitude and low Mach number: Modelling and experiments

The acoustic radiation of vibrating bodies can usually be considered as a linear phenomenon as in most cases the vibration amplitudes of oscillating bodies are small compared to their dimension. However, in case of large amplitude and small Mach number, the large displacement amplitude of a vibrating body gives rise to geometric nonlinear acoustic effects. In this paper it is shown that the nonlinearity causes an asymmetry in the time signal of the radiated pressure as observed at a fixed position, resulting in harmonic distortion of the radiated sound field. These nonlinear effects can be analysed by the finite element method, using a linear fluid behaviour in combination with a moving mesh approach. This approach is implemented and used to predict the nonlinear sound radiation of lithographic stages oscillating at large amplitude and low Mach number. Acoustic experiments prove the validity of the analysis technique for the geometrical nonlinear phenomena. In addition the structural response of a nearby body excited by the nonlinear acoustic radiation of the stage is calculated and verified experimentally.     

Generation of subharmonics in acoustic resonators containing bubbly liquids: A numerical study of the excitation threshold and hysteretic behavior

In this paper we study the generation and behavior of subharmonics in a bubbly liquid confined in an acoustic resonator, through numerical simulations carried out at finite-amplitude acoustic pressure. Several configurations in terms of resonator length and driving frequency are considered here. Our results show that these frequency components, created from a higher-frequency signal at the source (ultrasound), are due to the nonlinearity of the medium at high acoustic-pressure amplitude and to the configuration of the resonator (geometry and boundaries). We also show that they have an amplitude-threshold dependence, which is in concordance with the literature. The response of these subharmonics to different sequences of pressure amplitudes also reveals the hysteretic nature of the bubbly liquid.     

有限长号筒中非线性声传播的数值模拟研究

研究了大振幅活塞声源经有限长号筒向外辐射声波的非线性声学问题。采用具有频散保持特性的高精度计算格式求解了适用于变截面管道的一维非线性声场模型,并考虑到声波的非线性畸变及管口处的声反射,加入了宽频时域声阻抗边界条件。宽频阻抗模型的共轭复数系数采用优化拟合方法近似求解,并采用递推卷积算法快速求解出时域声阻抗。在弱非线性条件下模拟指数形号筒中的声传播取得了与已有实验相一致的结果,表明模型能够描述声波非线性畸变带来的宽频特性。进而采用本模型数值模拟了大振幅活塞声源在双曲形、锥形、指数形和正弦形号筒中的非线性声传播问题,结果表明号筒出口声压级受活塞振动速度、频率以及号筒形状的影响,并分析讨论了波形畸变与号筒几何形状之间的关系。      

Efficiency of acoustic heating produced in the thermoviscous flow of a fluid with relaxation

Instantaneous acoustic heating of a fluid with thermodynamic relaxation is the subject of investigation. Among others, viscoelastic biological media described by the Maxwell model of the viscous stress tensor, belong to this type of fluid. The governing equation of acoustic heating is derived by means of the special linear combination of conservation equations in differential form, allowing the reduction of all acoustic terms in the linear part of the final equation, but preserving terms belonging to the thermal mode responsible for heating. The procedure of decomposition is valid for weakly nonlinear flows, resulting in the nonlinear terms responsible for the modes interaction. Nonlinear acoustic terms form a source of acoustic heating in the case of dominative sound, which reflects the thermoviscous and dispersive properties of a fluid. The method of deriving the governing equations does not need averaging over the sound period, and the final governing dynamic equation of the thermal mode is instantaneous. Some examples of acoustic heating are illustrated and discussed, conclusions about efficiency of heating caused by different sound impulses are made.     

The interaction of shockwaves with a vapour bubble in boiling histotripsy: The shock scattering effect

Boiling histotripsy is a High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) technique which uses a number of short pulses with high acoustic pressures at the HIFU focus to induce mechanical tissue fractionation. In boiling histotripsy, two different types of acoustic cavitation contribute towards mechanical tissue destruction: a boiling vapour bubble and cavitation clouds. An understanding of the mechanisms underpinning these phenomena and their dynamics is therefore paramount to predicting and controlling the overall size of a lesion produced for a given boiling histotripsy exposure condition. A number of studies have shown the effects of shockwave heating in generating a boiling bubble at the HIFU focus and have studied its dynamics under boiling histotripsy insonation. However, not much is known about the subsequent production of cavitation clouds that form between the HIFU transducer and the boiling bubble. The main objective of the present study is to examine what causes this bubble cluster formation after the generation of a boiling vapour bubble. A numerical simulation of 2D nonlinear wave propagation with the presence of a bubble at the focus of a HIFU field was performed using the k-Wave MATLAB toolbox for time domain ultrasound simulations, which numerically solves the generalised Westervelt equation. The numerical results clearly demonstrate the appearance of the constructive interference of a backscattered shockwave by a bubble with incoming incident shockwaves. This interaction (i.e., the reflected and inverted peak positive phase from the bubble with the incoming incident rarefactional phase) can eventually induce a greater peak negative pressure field compared to that without the bubble at the HIFU focus. In addition, the backscattered peak negative pressure magnitude gradually increased from 17.4 MPa to 31.6 MPa when increasing the bubble size from 0.2 mm to 1.5 mm. The latter value is above the intrinsic cavitation threshold of –28 MPa in soft tissue. Our results suggest that the formation of a cavitation cloud in boiling histotripsy is a threshold effect which primarily depends (a) the size and location of a boiling bubble, and (b) the sum of the incident field and that scattered by a bubble.     

Nonlinear synthesis of infrasound propagation through an inhomogeneous, absorbing atmosphere

An accurate and efficient method to predict infrasound amplitudes from large explosions in the atmosphere is required for diverse source types, including bolides, volcanic eruptions, and nuclear and chemical explosions. A finite-difference, time-domain approach is developed to solve a set of nonlinear fluid dynamic equations for total pressure, temperature, and density fields rather than acoustic perturbations. Three key features for the purpose of synthesizing nonlinear infrasound propagation in realistic media are that it includes gravitational terms, it allows for acoustic absorption, including molecular vibration losses at frequencies well below the molecular vibration frequencies, and the environmental models are constrained to have axial symmetry, allowing a three-dimensional simulation to be reduced to two dimensions. Numerical experiments are performed to assess the algorithm's accuracy and the effect of source amplitudes and atmospheric variability on infrasound waveforms and shock formation. Results show that infrasound waveforms steepen and their associated spectra are shifted to higher frequencies for nonlinear sources, leading to enhanced infrasound attenuation. Results also indicate that nonlinear infrasound amplitudes depend strongly on atmospheric temperature and pressure variations. The solution for total field variables and insertion of gravitational terms also allows for the computation of other disturbances generated by explosions, including gravity waves.     

Contrast harmonic imaging

The behavior of ultrasound contrast agents depends highly on the acoustic pressure of the insonified ultrasound wave. For low pressure the expansion and compression is linear to the pressure, for medium acoustic pressure nonlinear behavior starts to occur and for high pressures, but still in the diagnostic range transient scattering can be noticed, resulting in an enhanced scattering followed by a disappearance of the bubble. The nonlinear and transient regime can be utilized for imaging of the contrast agent in or nearby tissue. The magnitude of the nonlinear signal from the contrast has to compete with the nonlinear component of the ultrasound wave, which is generated during propagation. It is shown that contrast is superior to tissue when using low frequencies and imaging the third or fourth harmonic of the transmitted frequency.     

The Relationship of Cavitation to the Negative Acoustic Pressure Amplitude in Ultrasonic Therapy

The relationship between the cavitation and acoustic peak negative pressure in the high-intensity focused ultrasound(HIFU)Held is analyzed in water and tissue phantom.The peak negative pressure at the focus is determined by a hybrid approach combining the measurement with the simulation.The spheroidal beam equation is utilized to describe the nonlinear acoustic propagation.The waveform at the focus is measured by a fiber optic probe hydrophone in water.The relationship between the source pressure amplitude and the excitation voltage is determined by fitting the measured ratio of the second harmonic to the fundamental component at the focus,based on the model simulation.Then the focal negative pressure is calculated for arbitrary voltage excitation in water and tissue phantom.A portable B-mode ultrasound scanner is applied to monitor HIFU-induced cavitation in real time,and a passive cavitation detection(PCD)system is used to acquire the bubble scattering signals in the HIFU focal volume for the cavitation quantification.The results show that:(1)unstable cavitation starts to appear in degassed water when the peak negative pressure of HIFU signals reaches 13.5 MPa;and(2)the cavitation activity can be detected in tissue phantom by B-mode images and in the PCD system with HIFU peak negative pressures of 9.0 MPa and 7.8 MPa,respectively,which suggests that real-time B-mode images could be used to monitor the cavitation activity in two dimensions,while PCD systems are more sensitive to detect scattering and emission signals from cavitation bubbles.     

Nonlinear acoustic properties of the B95 aluminum alloy and the B95/nanodiamond composite

Research results for the nonlinear acoustic properties of the B95 polycrystalline aluminum alloy and the B95/nanodiamond composite have been described. The nonlinear properties of the alloys have been studied by the spectral method that measures the efficiency of generation of the second harmonic of a bulk acoustic wave at a frequency of 2f = 10 MHz in the field of a finite-amplitude longitudinal acoustic wave at a frequency of f = 5 MHz. The results derived by this method have been compared with the results of studies of the nonlinear acoustic properties of the test alloys using the Thurston–Brugger quasi-static method.     

Acoustic radiation of cylindrical elastic shells subjected to a point source: investigation in terms of helical acoustic rays.

The paper deals with the acoustic radiation of a cylindrical elastic shell with no internal loading surrounded by a fluid medium when its external surface is subjected to a point source. The problem is addressed via the use of the spatial Fourier transform. An expression is obtained for the radiated pressure that is evaluated for the far field using both the stationary phase method and the fast Fourier transform (FFT). The acoustic field calculated from the FFT is much more complicated than that obtained by using only the stationary phase method. In agreement with the geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD), alternative interpretations of the radiated field in terms of helical acoustic rays allows one to understand the reason for this result. The outstanding phenomenon underlined by the use of the FFT is the emergence of an infinite number of spatial dispersion curves associated with each leaky wave propagating in shells when excited by a point source.     

A derating method for therapeutic applications of high intensity focused ultrasound

Current methods of determining high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) fields in tissue rely on extrapolation of measurements in water assuming linear wave propagation both in water and in tissue. Neglecting nonlinear propagation effects in the derating process can result in significant errors. A new method based on scaling the source amplitude is introduced to estimate focal parameters of nonlinear HIFU fields in tissue. Focal values of acoustic field parameters in absorptive tissue are obtained from a numerical solution to a KZK-type equation and are compared to those simulated for propagation in water. Focal wave-forms, peak pressures, and intensities are calculated over a wide range of source outputs and linear focusing gains. Our modeling indicates, that for the high gain sources which are typically used in therapeutic medical applications, the focal field parameters derated with our method agree well with numerical simulation in tissue. The feasibility of the derating method is demonstrated experimentally in excised bovine liver tissue.     

Modelling of nonlinear effects and the response of ultrasound contrast micro bubbles: simulation and experiment

The propagation of diagnostic ultrasonic imaging pulses in tissue and their interaction with contrast micro bubbles is a very complex physical process, which we assumed to be separable into three stages: pulse propagation in tissue, the interaction of the pulse with the contrast bubble, and the propagation of the scattered echo. The model driven approach is used to gain better knowledge of the complex processes involved. A simplified way of field simulation is chosen due to the complexity of the task and the necessity to estimate comparative contributions of each component of the process. Simulations are targeted at myocardial perfusion estimation. A modified method for spatial superposition of attenuated waves enables simulations of low intensity pulse pressure fields from weakly focused transducers in a nonlinear, attenuating, and liquid-like biological medium. These assumptions enable the use of quasi-linear calculations of the acoustic field. The simulations of acoustic bubble response are carried out with the Rayleigh-Plesset equation with the addition of radiation damping. Theoretical simulations with synthesised and experimentally sampled pulses show that the interaction of the excitation pulses with the contrast bubbles is the main cause of nonlinear scattering, and a 2-3 dB increase of second harmonic amplitude depends on nonlinear distortions of the incident pulse.     

基于时间反转法的相控换能器声场的仿真研究

相控换能器具有焦距可调的优势。本文以82阵元相控换能器建立的3D数值仿真模型为例,基于时间反转法提取阵元的激励信号,利用时域有限差分(FDTD)法对Westervelt声波非线性传播方程进行声场数值仿真,研究不同阵元分布、偏离声轴的距离、设定焦距大小对形成声场的影响,可调控范围及其消除旁瓣方法。研究结果表明,随机分布相控阵可明显降低声场中的旁瓣;随着偏离声轴距离的增加,主瓣声压幅值逐渐减小,旁瓣与主瓣的最大声强比值r逐渐增大,且沿声轴的可调控范围逐渐减小;随声轴方向上设定焦距的增加,主瓣声压幅值先增大后减小,r值先减小后增大;基于时间反转法的高声压旁瓣消除法可在一定程度上扩大相控阵声场的可调控范围。     

Effect of acoustic nonlinearity on heating of biological tissue by high-intensity focused ultrasound

Effect of strong acoustic nonlinearity on the efficiency of heating of a biological tissue by high-intensity focused ultrasound in the modes of operation used in real clinical setups is studied. The spatial distributions of thermal sources and the corresponding temperature increments caused by ultrasonic absorption are analyzed. Numerical algorithms are developed for simulating the nonlinear focusing of ultrasound in the calculations of both the heat sources on the basis of the Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov-type equations and the temperature field in a tissue on the basis of an inhomogeneous thermal conduction equation with a relaxation term. It is demonstrated that in the mode of operation typical of acoustic surgery, the nonlinearity improves the locality of heating and leads to an increase in the power of thermal sources in the focus by approximately an order of magnitude. The diffusion phenomena in the tissue lead to a smoothing of the spatial temperature distributions, as compared to the distributions of thermal sources. In the case of one-second exposure in the nonlinear mode of focusing, the maximal temperature in the focus exceeds the values obtained in the approximation of linear wave propagation by a factor of three.     

Equations for finite-difference, time-domain simulation of sound propagation in moving inhomogeneous media and numerical implementation

Finite-difference, time-domain (FDTD) calculations are typically performed with partial differential equations that are first order in time. Equation sets appropriate for FDTD calculations in a moving inhomogeneous medium (with an emphasis on the atmosphere) are derived and discussed in this paper. Two candidate equation sets, both derived from linearized equations of fluid dynamics, are proposed. The first, which contains three coupled equations for the sound pressure, vector acoustic velocity, and acoustic density, is obtained without any approximations. The second, which contains two coupled equations for the sound pressure and vector acoustic velocity, is derived by ignoring terms proportional to the divergence of the medium velocity and the gradient of the ambient pressure. It is shown that the second set has the same or a wider range of applicability than equations for the sound pressure that have been previously used for analytical and numerical studies of sound propagation in a moving atmosphere. Practical FDTD implementation of the second set of equations is discussed. Results show good agreement with theoretical predictions of the sound pressure due to a point monochromatic source in a uniform, high Mach number flow and with Fast Field Program calculations of sound propagation in a stratified moving atmosphere.