Some illustrative examples of the use of a spectral-element method in ocean acoustics

Some numerical results in the time domain obtained with the spectral-element method are presented in order to illustrate the high potential of this technique for modeling the propagation of acoustic waves in the ocean in complex configurations. A validation for a simple configuration with a known solution is shown, followed by some simulations of the propagation of acoustic waves over different types of ocean bottoms (fluid, elastic, and porous) to emphasize the wide variety of media that can be considered within the framework of this method. Finally, a movie illustrating upslope propagation over a viscoelastic wedge is presented and discussed.     

Acoustic wavefront imaging

We introduce a new class of experiments which provide graphic insights into the propagation of acoustic waves in anisotropic media. Simply stated, we have devised a means of observing the expanding acoustic wavefront from a point disturbance in a solid. The data may be viewed as a movie or a series of snapshots. The observed wavefronts represent the group-velocity surfaces of acoustic waves, which reflect the basic elastic anisotropy of the solid. The technique has been applied to coherent acoustic waves with frequencies in the megahertz range (at ambient temperatures) and to incoherent heat pulses in the hundred-gigahertz range (at liquid-helium temperatures). In this article, we first provide a pedagogical introduction to wave propagation in elastically anisotropic media, reviewing some early methods for visualizing acoustic waves. Next, we describe the “acoustic wavefront imaging” method and give representative results in crystals and composite materials. Finally, we show how this method relates to recent advances in phonon imaging and internal diffraction of ultrasound.     

Relation for the amplitudes of acoustic waves excited by thin elastic plates

Relations between the amplitudes of acoustic waves excited by a thin elastic plate under the effect of external forces and the amplitudes of waves scattered by this plate are obtained. Two cases are considered: when the plate separates acoustic media filling two half-spaces and when it separates acoustic media filling an acoustic waveguide. The energy conservation law is used to derive the identities that determine the relations between the amplitudes of acoustic waves radiated by a thin elastic plate under the action of forces.     

Laser generation of acoustic waves at a periodic domain structure in lithium niobate

Generation of coherent acoustic oscillations due to the interaction of laser pulses with the periodic domain structure formed in a lithium niobate single crystal is observed. It is found that the excitation of acoustic waves is most efficient when the generated wavelength is equal to the period of the domain structure. The proposed mechanism of the optical generation of acoustic oscillations consists of the photogeneration of free carriers, which compensate the polarization fields within the domains, and the occurrence of alternating elastic stresses caused by the piezoelectric effect.     

Direct formulation of the supersonic acoustic intensity in space domain

This paper proposes and examines a direct formulation in space domain of the so-called supersonic acoustic intensity. This quantity differs from the usual (active) intensity by excluding the circulating energy in the near-field of the source, providing a map of the acoustic energy that is radiated into the far field. To date, its calculation has been formulated in the wave number domain, filtering out the evanescent waves outside the radiation circle and reconstructing the acoustic field with only the propagating waves. In this study, the supersonic intensity is calculated directly in space domain by means of a two-dimensional convolution between the acoustic field and a spatial filter mask that corresponds to the space domain representation of the radiation circle. Therefore, the acoustic field that propagates effectively to the far field is calculated via direct filtering in space domain. This paper presents the theory, as well as a numerical example to illustrate some fundamental principles. An experimental study on planar radiators was conducted to verify the validity of the technique. The experimental results are presented, and serve to illustrate the usefulness of the analysis, its strengths and limitations.     

On the validity of some new acoustic scattering approximations

Two new approximations for predicting the elastic scattering of plane acoustic waves by a weak scatterer are proposed. The approximations have been obtained by drawing an analogy between acoustic and light scattering problems. The validity of these approximations has been examined numerically for the exactly soluble case of scattering by a homogeneous sphere. Results show that for small angle scattering the proposed approximations have a considerably larger domain of validity in comparison to the extensively used Born approximation.     

Propagation in an elastic wedge using the virtual source technique

The virtual source technique, which is based on the boundary integral method, provides the means to impose boundary conditions on arbitrarily shaped boundaries by replacing them by a collection of sources whose amplitudes are determined from the boundary conditions. In this paper the virtual source technique is used to model propagation of waves in a range-dependent ocean overlying an elastic bottom with arbitrarily shaped ocean-bottom interface. The method is applied to propagation in an elastic Pekeris waveguide, an acoustic wedge, and an elastic wedge. In the case of propagation in an elastic Pekeris waveguide, the results agree very well with those obtained from the wavenumber integral technique, as they do with the solution of the parabolic equation (PE) technique in the case of propagation in an acoustic wedge. The results for propagation in an elastic wedge qualitatively agree with those obtained from an elastic PE solution.     

On the validity of some new acoustic scattering approximations

Abstract

Two new approximations for predicting the elastic scattering of plane acoustic waves by a weak scatterer are proposed. The approximations have been obtained by drawing an analogy between acoustic and light scattering problems. The validity of these approximations has been examined numerically for the exactly soluble case of scattering by a homogeneous sphere. Results show that for small angle scattering the proposed approximations have a considerably larger domain of validity in comparison to the extensively used Born approximation.     

声表面波渡越时间法检测黏弹性介质表面凹痕深度的研究

研究声表面波渡越时间法检测黏弹性介质表面凹痕的深度。基于频域动力学平衡方程,采用有限元方法分别在有表面凹痕的弹性和黏弹性介质中,建立激光激发声表面波的数值模型。研究材料的黏性引起的声表面波波速和频散的变化,对表面凹痕检测的影响,在此基础上,根据反射和透射声表面波的传播路径及到达时间,利用渡越时间法检测黏弹性介质中的表面凹痕。结果表明:黏性引起的声表面波频散对表面凹痕检测的影响极小,采用渡越时间法检测得到的表面凹痕的位置及深度,与数值模型的设置值符合很好,从而为黏弹性介质表面凹痕的检测提供有效的理论方法。     

Field fluctuation spectroscopy in a reverberant cavity with moving scatterers

We report a study of transient ultrasonic waves inside a reverberant cavity containing moving scatterers. We show that the elastic mean free path and the dynamics of the scatterers govern the evolution of the autocorrelation of acoustic wave field. A parallel is established between these results and a closely related technique, diffusing acoustic wave spectroscopy. Excellent agreement is found between experiment and theory for a moving stainless steel ball in a water tank, thereby elucidating the underlying physics, and a potential application, fish monitoring inside aquariums, is demonstrated.     

Acoustic time-frequency domain imaging

The axial resolution of conventional acoustic micro imaging is limited by the wavelength of acoustic waves. Acoustic time-frequency domain imaging was recently proposed to overcome the wavelength limit [Zhang et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 118, 3706-3720 (2005)]. A continuous wavelet transform based acoustic time-frequency domain imaging technique is investigated in this paper. Experiments are performed on real 3D data collected from microelectronic packages. Results demonstrate the proposed technique reveals more image details and enhances the image contrast in comparison with conventional time domain imaging.     

Roughness-trapped shear horizontal surface acoustic waves

Shear horizontal surface acoustic waves do not exist on the flat surface of a semi-infinite elastic medium. It has been shown by several authors recently that such waves can exist on a periodically corrugated, planar surface. We show here on the basis of the Rayleigh method that shear horizontal surface acoustic waves exist on a randomly rough planar surface of an isotropic elastic medium. These waves are only weakly localized to the surface and they have a lifetime that is long due to their roughness-induced scattering into other surface acoustic waves and into bulk waves.     

Specificity of the phenomenon of acoustoelasticity in a two-dimensional internally structured medium

A two-dimensional model of a microstructured medium is considered in the form of a square lattice consisting of elastically interacting circular particles with translational and rotational degrees of freedom. The interactions between the particles are modeled by a set of elastic springs. Differential equations are derived to describe the propagation and interaction of acoustic waves in such a medium. The relation between the velocities of wave propagation and the small strain arising in the structure under external action is determined. Analytical expressions that determine the difference between the squares of the velocities of both longitudinal and shear waves propagating in two mutually perpendicular directions in a medium with an externally induced anisotropy are derived and analyzed.     

Elastic properties of semiconductor a-Si:H/a-SiNx:H quasiperiodic and periodic superlattices

Surface Rayleigh acoustic waves and related elastic properties of quasiperiodic and periodic modulated a-Si:H/a-SiN_x:H superlattices have been studied by means of a light-scattering technique. Changes in the phase velocity of the surface Rayleigh acoustic waves as a function of sublayer (a-Si:H) thickness are interpreted using an effective medium model. Despite the existence of structural mismatch in the bond-length and coordination number and of structural disorder in the bond-angle for Si-N and Si-Si, no appreciable discrepancy between the measured results and the theoretical predictions has been found.     

Green's function approach to paraelastic relaxation

The dynamical behavior of the elastic constants of a crystal containing paraelastic defects is investigated theoretically. A two-level model for the paraelastic defect is adopted, and the coupling between the defect and the lattice vibrations is considered to be strong. The imaginary part of the elastic compliance tensor is calculated by the Green's function method using the Feynman graph technique. It is shown that the change of the elastic compliance due to the defects is in general a superposition of the Debye-type relaxation and of resonant absorption of the acoustic waves. Expressions for the linewidth of the resonance and the Debye relaxation time are derived.     

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.     

Ferroelectric and magnetic media with nanoscale regular domain structures

The formation and physical characteristics of irregular nano- and microscale domain structures were studied in ferroelectric and magnetic perovskite metal oxides. Their nonlinear optical, magnetic and elastic characteristics were established. The prospects for their application in the frequency and mode transformation of optical and acoustic waves are examined.     

Acoustic-electromagnetic slow waves in a periodical defective piezoelectric slab

Coupled slow waves, slow acoustic waves, and electromagnetic waves are simultaneously achieved based on a piezoelectric material, in which a line defect is created within a honeycomb lattice array of cylindrical holes etched in a LiNbO_3 slab. Finite element simulations in frequency domain and time domain demonstrate that a highly localized slow mode is obtained in the defect. Owing to the piezoelectricity of LiNbO_3, acoustic and electromagnetic waves are coupled with each other and transmit along the line defect. Therefore, in addition to a slow acoustic wave, an electromagnetic wave with a group velocity even lower than conventional acoustic waves is achieved.     

Evaluation of the vibrational modes of the human skull as it relates to bone-conducted sound

Analytic and numerical models are used to study bone-conducted sound and how it relates to the vibrational modes of the human skull. The analytic model is based on the solution to the acoustic and elastic wave equations and the constraining boundary conditions for a fluid-filled elastic sphere. Both models predict that most of the acoustic energy of bone-conducted sound exists in the form of surface wave vibrations at the interface between two acoustic media rather than in the bone or cranial chamber. These surface waves have phase speeds much slower than the bulk sound speed for bone. The analytic model, based on spherical elastic shells, predicts a phase speed of 775 m/s and the first resonance frequency at 1500 Hz while the numerical solution yields approximate phase speeds of 450 m/s and provides a visual display of the surface waves and diffraction effects.     

Cancellation of acoustic scattering from an elastic sphere

Recent research has suggested the possibility of creating acoustic cloaks using metamaterial layers to eliminate the acoustic field scattered from an elastic object. This paper explores the possibility of applying the scattering cancellation cloaking technique to acoustic waves and the use of this method to investigate its effectiveness in cloaking elastic and fluid spheres using only a single isotropic elastic layer. Parametric studies showing the influence of cloak stiffness and geometry on the frequency dependent scattering cross-section of spheres have been developed to explore the design space of the cloaking layer. This analysis shows that an appropriately designed single isotropic elastic cloaking layer can provide up to 30 dB of scattering reduction for ka values up to 1.6. This work also illustrates the importance of accounting for the elasticity of the object and the relevant limitations of simplistic quasi-static analyses proposed in recent papers.