Hearing thresholds of a harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) for sweeps (1-2 kHz and 6-7 kHz bands) mimicking naval sonar signals

The distance at which active naval sonar signals can be heard by harbor porpoises depends, among other factors, on the hearing thresholds of the species for those signals. Therefore the hearing sensitivity of a harbor porpoise was determined for 1 s up-sweep and down-sweep signals, mimicking mid-frequency and low-frequency active sonar sweeps (MFAS, 6-7 kHz band; LFAS, 1-2 kHz band). The 1-2 kHz sweeps were also tested with harmonics, as sonars sometimes produce these as byproducts of the fundamental signal. The hearing thresholds for up-sweeps and down-sweeps within each sweep pair were similar. The 50% detection threshold sound pressure levels (broadband, averaged over the signal duration) of the 1-2 kHz and 6-7 kHz sweeps were 75 and 67 dB re 1 μPa(2), respectively. Harmonic deformation of the 1-2 kHz sweeps reduced the threshold to 59 dB re 1 μPa(2). This study shows that the presence of harmonics in sonar signals can increase the detectability of a signal by harbor porpoises, and that tonal audiograms may not accurately predict the audibility of sweeps. LFAS systems, when designed to produce signals without harmonics, can operate at higher source levels than MFAS systems, at similar audibility distances for porpoises.     

Threshold received sound pressure levels of single 1-2 kHz and 6-7 kHz up-sweeps and down-sweeps causing startle responses in a harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

Mid-frequency and low-frequency sonar systems produce frequency-modulated sweeps which may affect harbor porpoises. To study the effect of sweeps on behavioral responses (specifically "startle" responses, which we define as sudden changes in swimming speed and/or direction), a harbor porpoise in a large pool was exposed to three pairs of sweeps: a 1-2 kHz up-sweep was compared with a 2-1 kHz down-sweep, both with and without harmonics, and a 6-7 kHz up-sweep was compared with a 7-6 kHz down-sweep without harmonics. Sweeps were presented at five spatially averaged received levels (mRLs; 6 dB steps; identical for the up-sweep and down-sweep of each pair). During sweep presentation, startle responses were recorded. There was no difference in the mRLs causing startle responses for up-sweeps and down-sweeps within frequency pairs. For 1-2 kHz sweeps without harmonics, a 50% startle response rate occurred at mRLs of 133 dB re 1 μPa; for 1-2 kHz sweeps with strong harmonics at 99 dB re 1 μPa; for 6-7 kHz sweeps without harmonics at 101 dB re 1 μPa. Low-frequency (1-2 kHz) active naval sonar systems without harmonics can therefore operate at higher source levels than mid-frequency (6-7 kHz) active sonar systems without harmonics, with similar startle effects on porpoises.     

Estimated communication range of social sounds used by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

Bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, exhibit flexible associations in which the compositions of groups change frequently. We investigated the potential distances over which female dolphins and their dependent calves could remain in acoustic contact. We quantified the propagation of sounds in the frequency range of typical dolphin whistles in shallow water areas and channels of Sarasota Bay, Florida. Our results indicated that detection range was noise limited as opposed to being limited by hearing sensitivity. Sounds were attenuated to a greater extent in areas with seagrass than any other habitat. Estimates of active space of whistles showed that in seagrass shallow water areas, low-frequency whistles (7-13 kHz) with a 165 dB source level could be heard by dolphins at 487 m. In shallow areas with a mud bottom, all whistle frequency components of the same whistle could be heard by dolphins travel up to 2 km. In channels, high-frequency whistles (13-19 kHz) could be detectable potentially over a much longer distance (> 20 km). Our findings indicate that the communication range of social sounds likely exceeds the mean separation distances between females and their calves. Ecological pressures might play an important role in determining the separation distances within communication range.     

Seismic properties of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) vocalizations and locomotion

Seismic and acoustic data were recorded simultaneously from Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) during periods of vocalizations and locomotion. Acoustic and seismic signals from rumbles were highly correlated at near and far distances and were in phase near the elephant and were out of phase at an increased distance from the elephant. Data analyses indicated that elephant generated signals associated with rumbles and "foot stomps" propagated at different velocities in the two media, the acoustic signals traveling at 309 m/s and the seismic signals at 248-264 m/s. Both types of signals had predominant frequencies in the range of 20 Hz. Seismic signal amplitudes considerably above background noise were recorded at 40 m from the generating elephants for both the rumble and the stomp. Seismic propagation models suggest that seismic waveforms from vocalizations are potentially detectable by instruments at distances of up to 16 km, and up to 32 km for locomotion generated signals. Thus, if detectable by elephants, these seismic signals could be useful for long distance communication.     

Sound localization of frequency-modulated sinusoids by Old World monkeys

Directional hearing acuity, as measured by the minimum audible angle (MAA), was determined in four Old World monkeys, Macaca radiata. The acoustic stimuli were linear changes in frequency (sweeps) for different frequency ranges and sweep rates. The sweeps ranged between 0.5 and 1.3 kHz, at two durations, 100 and 200 ms. In upsweeps which began at 0.5 kHz and were 200 ms in duration, MAA decreased as sweep rate and frequency range increased. These thresholds were compared to MAAs of sweeps which traversed the same range of frequencies but at a different rate, to MAAs of sweeps with identical rates but over different frequency ranges, and to the MAAs of downsweeps. These comparisons indicated that range, and not sweep rate, exerts the greatest effect on the MAA. Interaural phase differences derived from the upper limits of the frequency range are discussed as potential FM localization cues.     

Impact of ocean variability on coherent underwater acoustic communications during the Kauai [corrected] experiment (KauaiEx)

During the July 2003 acoustic communications experiment conducted in 100 m deep water off the western side of Kauai, Hawaii, a 10 s binary phase shift keying signal with a symbol rate of 4 kilosymbol/s was transmitted every 30 min for 27 h from a bottom moored source at 12 kHz center frequency to a 16 element vertical array spanning the water column at about 3 km range. The communications signals are demodulated by time reversal multichannel combining followed by a single channel decision feedback equalizer using two subsets of array elements whose channel characteristics appear distinct: (1) top 10 and (2) bottom 4 elements. Due to rapid channel variations, continuous channel updates along with Doppler tracking are required prior to time reversal combining. This is especially true for the top 10 elements where the received acoustic field involves significant interaction with the dynamic ocean surface. The resulting communications performance in terms of output signal-to-noise ratio exhibits significant change over the 27 h transmission duration. This is particularly evident as the water column changes from well-mixed to a downward refracting environment.     

Digital acoustic communication in shallow-water sea for oceanological applications

Results of experiments on slow transmission of digital information using acoustic signals in complex oceanological conditions, i.e., in the presence of multiray propagation and motion of a sound source, are given. Coding with the help of pseudorandom sequences and coherent summation of the signals transmitted along a multiplicity of different rays with different Doppler frequencies and received by different elements of an extended receiving array are performed. The used method provided an opportunity to attain errorless transmission of codes at distances larger than 5 km. A theoretical estimate is given for the probability of an erroneous decision on the value of transmitted codes.     

Localization estimates for a random discrete wave equation at high frequency

It is shown that at high frequencies matrix elements of the Green's function of a random discrete wave equation decay exponentially at long distances. This is the input to the proof of dense point spectrum with localized eigenfunctions in this frequency range. The proof uses techniques of Fröhlich and Spencer. A sequence of renormalization transformations shows that large regions where wave propagation is easily maintained become increasingly sparse as resonance is approached.     

Accurate vocal compensation for sound intensity loss with increasing distance in natural environments

Human abilities to adjust vocal output to compensate for intensity losses due to sound propagation over distance were investigated. Ten normally hearing adult participants were able to compensate for propagation losses ranging from -1.8 to -6.4 dBdoubling source distance over a range of distances from 1 to 8 m. The compensation was performed to within 1.2 dB of accuracy on average across all participants, distances, and propagation loss conditions with no practice or explicit training. These results suggest that natural vocal communication processes of humans may incorporate tacit knowledge of physical sound propagation properties more sophisticated than previously supposed.     

Ultrasonic wave generation due to human footsteps on the ground

Human footsteps generate broadband frequency vibrations in the ground/floor and sound in the air from a few Hertz up to ultrasonic frequencies due to striking and sliding contacts between a foot and the ground/floor. The high-frequency (above 1 kHz) vibrations from footsteps were detected on a building floor, but were not detected on the outdoor ground, even at 1 m from a walker. This paper presents results of ultrasound registration from footsteps on the ground at greater distances. Results are based on sound measurements in air, since the sound absorption in air is less than vibration absorption in the ground.     

Measurements and predictions of hooded crow (Corvus corone cornix) call propagation over open field habitats

In a study of hooded crow communication over open fields an excellent correspondence is found between the attenuation spectra predicted by a "turbulence-modified ground effect plus atmospheric absorption" model, and crow call attenuation data. Sound propagation predictions and background noise measurements are used to predict an optimal frequency range for communication ("sound communication window") from an average of crow call spectra predicted for every possible combination of the sender/receiver separations 300, 600, 900, and 1200 m and heights 3,6,9 m thereby creating a matrix assumed relevant to crow interterritorial communication. These predictions indicate an optimal frequency range for sound communication between 500 Hz and 2 kHz. Since this corresponds to the frequency range in which crow calls have their main energy and crow hearing in noise is particularly sensitive, it suggests a specific adaptation to the ground effect. Sound propagation predictions, together with background noise measurements and hearing data, are used to estimate the radius of the hooded crow active space. This is found to be roughly 1 km in moderately windy conditions. It is concluded that the propagation modeling of the sort introduced here could be used for assessing the impact of human noise on animal communication.     

Long range transmission loss of broadband seismic pulses in the Arctic under ice-free conditions

In 2008 the Louis S. St-Laurent (LSSL) surveyed deep Arctic waters using a three-airgun seismic source. Signals from the seismic survey were detected between 400 km and 1300 km range on a directional autonomous acoustic recorder deployed in water 53 m deep off the Alaskan North Slope. Observations of received signal levels between 10-450 Hz versus LSSL range roughly fit a cylindrical transmission loss model plus 0.01 dB/km attenuation in deep ice-free waters, and fit previous empirical models in ice-covered waters. The transition between ice-free and ice-covered propagation conditions shifted 200 km closer to the recorder during the survey.     

Buffered Fourier domain mode locking: Unidirectional swept laser sources for optical coherence tomography imaging at 370,000 lines/s

We describe buffered Fourier domain mode locking (FDML), a technique for tailoring the output and multiplying the sweep rate of FDML lasers. Buffered FDML can be used to create unidirectional wavelength sweeps from the normal bidirectional sweeps in an FDML laser without sacrificing sweep rate. We also investigate the role of the laser source in dynamic range versus sensitivity performance in optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. Unidirectional sweep rates of 370 kHz over a 100 nm range at a center wavelength of 1300 nm are achieved. High-speed, swept-source OCT is demonstrated at record speeds of up to 370,000 axial scans per second.     

High power high repetition rate pulsed collisional laser using a He + Eu+ mixture

Studies have been made of the properties of an ionized europium collision laser with=1002 nm in the 1.5 to 6 kW range of pumping powers. For this purpose, a gas-discharge tube made of BeO ceramic, 50 cm long and 2.7 cm diameter was used. The pulse repetition rate ranged from 2 to 10 kHz at a pumping duration of 400 ns.For helium pressures in the range of 0.3 to 1 atm, the efficiency and laser power increases faster than the concentration of helium atoms. At the atmospheric pressure of helium, the optimal lasing conditions are as follows: discharge current amplitude 150 A, the europium vapour pressure corresponds to 640 to 660° C and is dependent on the discharge current. The laser efficiency is independent of the pulse repetition rate in the 3 to 9 kHz range.The maximum laser power achieved was 12.7 W atF=9.5 kHz, and the efficiency amounted to 0.21%, whereas at 11.8 W andF=6.5 kHz the maximum efficiency was 0.24%. The dynamic efficiency of the laser reached 0.4%.     

沉积物中声速和衰减系数的宽带测量方法

海底沉积物作为海洋波导声传播的下边界普遍存在于大洋中,获知其特性对于准确的声传播和混响建模是十分必要的。为了能够快速而准确地测量沉积物中的声速和衰减系数,提出一种基于脉冲压缩技术的测量方法,对接收信号进行压缩来提取透射波,根据不同厚度样品的透射波来计算沉积物中的声速和衰减系数。该方法不仅可以克服实验过程中经常遇到的多途干扰,而且测量过程简单,可以同时获得测量频带内所有频点的声速和衰减系数,即实现了对声速和衰减系数的宽带测量。在实验室环境条件下,90~170kHz的测量频带内,测得沙样品中的声速为1710~1713m/s,衰减系数在56~70dB/m之间。通过窄带和宽带测量结果的比较可以看出,声速的宽带测量结果与窄带测量结果吻合得较好,而衰减系数在频带后半部分存在较大的起伏。      

Diversity reception of hydroacoustic signals from the results of experiments in the Black Sea

The results are presented of an experimental study of spatial and frequency correlation of amplitude fluctuations of hydroacoustic signals on two paths of the Black Sea under conditions of a thermal underwater sound channel and tonal-continuous emission at frequencies of 4 and 1.5 kHz. The emitters were located in the coastal wedge on the bottom slope at depths of 35 and 60 m; a receiver system was submerged to a depth of 50–60 m off the side of a ship drifting at various distances in the open sea. Data are presented on the spatial (horizontal and vertical) and frequency intervals of fluctuation correlation on the first path extending 100 km at an emission frequency of 4 kHz under conditions of dominant fast fluctuations, as well as on the second path extending 300 km at an omission frequency of 1.5 kHz under conditions of dominant slow fluctuations. The results of experiments are used to estimate the efficiency of space-diversity and frequency-diversity reception of acoustic signals in application to information transmission over a hydroacoustic channel.     

Mutual inductance bridge for magnetic relaxation measurements at low temperatures

An apparatus using a mutual inductance bridge has been designed to measure real and imaginary parts of the magnetic ac susceptibility simultaneously in the frequency range from 1 Hz to 230 kHz at helium temperatures. From 230 kHz up to 3 MHz the real part can be determined. The susceptibility as a function of temperature or external magnetic field at constant frequency may be measured. In addition, frequency sweeps can be performed with temperature and magnetic field held constant. The experiment is controlled by an on-line computer.     

Dynamic propagation and nucleation in domain wall nanowire devices

The dynamic injection and propagation of domain walls (DWs) in technologically relevant geometries have been investigated. On short (~10 ns) timescales nucleation of a DW by a localized Oersted field is found to be well described using a Néel-Brown reversal mode. Using locally injected DWs, we test the propagation of DWs over long distances (~100 μm) in close proximity nanowires and beyond the Walker breakdown limit. In nanowires that act as true conduits to a DW, data can be successfully propagated without loss or inter-wire cross-talk. This is in contrast to poorly characterized systems where the DW is found to propagate asynchronously above the critical breakdown field.     

A direct method for measuring acoustic ground impedance in long-range propagation experiments

A method is reported for determining ground impedance in long-range propagation experiments by using the definition of impedance directly. The method is envisioned as way of measuring the impedence at multiple locations along the propagation path, using the signals broadcast during the experiment itself. In a short-range (10 m) test, the direct method was in good agreement with a more conventional model-based least-squares method. The utility of the direct method was demonstrated in a 400 m propagation experiment in a agricultural field. The resulting impedance was consistent with the impedance measured previously in the same field.     

Observation of nanojet-induced modes with small propagation losses in chains of coupled spherical cavities

Nanojet-induced modes (NIMs) and their attenuation properties are studied in linear chains consisting of tens of touching polystyrene microspheres with sizes in the 2-10 micro m range. To couple light to NIMs we used locally excited sources of light formed by several dye-doped fluorescent microspheres from the same chain of cavities. We directly observed the formation and propagation of NIMs by means of the scattering imaging technique. By measuring attenuation at long distances from the source, we demonstrate propagation losses for NIMs as small as 0.5 dB per sphere.