Low-frequency and high-frequency distortion product otoacoustic emission suppression in humans

Distortion product otoacoustic emission suppression (quantified as decrements) was measured for f(2)=500 and 4000 Hz, for a range of primary levels (L(2)), suppressor frequencies (f(3)), and suppressor levels (L(3)) in 19 normal-hearing subjects. Slopes of decrement-versus-L(3) functions were similar at both f(2) frequencies, and decreased as f(3) increased. Suppression tuning curves, constructed from decrement functions, were used to estimate (1) suppression for on- and low-frequency suppressors, (2) tip-to-tail differences, (3) Q(ERB), and (4) best frequency. Compression, estimated from the slope of functions relating suppression "threshold" to L(2) for off-frequency suppressors, was similar for 500 and 4000 Hz. Tip-to-tail differences, Q(ERB), and best frequency decreased as L(2) increased for both frequencies. However, tip-to-tail difference (an estimate of cochlear-amplifier gain) was 20 dB greater at 4000 Hz, compared to 500 Hz. Q(ERB) decreased to a greater extent with L(2) when f(2)=4000 Hz, but, on an octave scale, best frequency shifted more with level when f(2)=500 Hz. These data indicate that, at both frequencies, cochlear processing is nonlinear. Response growth and compression are similar at the two frequencies, but gain is greater at 4000 Hz and spread of excitation is greater at 500 Hz.     

Maturation of cochlear nonlinearity as measured by distortion product otoacoustic emission suppression growth in humans

The growth of distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) suppression follows a systematic, frequency-dependent pattern. The pattern is consistent with direct measures of basilar-membrane response growth, psychoacoustic measures of masking growth, and measures of neural rate growth. This pattern has its basis in the recognized nonlinear properties of basilar-membrane motion and, as such, the DPOAE suppression growth paradigm can be applied to human neonates to study the maturation of cochlear nonlinearity. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the maturation of human cochlear nonlinearity and define the time course for this maturational process. Normal-hearing adults, children, term-born neonates, and premature neonates, plus a small number of children with sensorineural hearing loss, were included in this experiment. DPOAE suppression growth was measured at two f2 frequencies (1500 and 6000 Hz) and three primary tone levels (55-45, 65-55, and 75-65 dB SPL). Slope of DPOAE suppression growth, as well as an asymmetry ratio (to compare slope for suppressor tones below and above f2 frequency), were generated. Suppression threshold was also measured in all subjects. Findings indicate that both term-born neonates and premature neonates who have attained term-like age, show non-adult-like DPOAE suppression growth for low-frequency suppressor tones. These age effects are most evident at f2 = 6000 Hz. In neonates, suppression growth is shallower and suppression thresholds are elevated for suppressor tones lower in frequency than f2. Additionally, the asymmetry ratio is smaller in neonates, indicating that the typical frequency-dependent pattern of suppression growth is not present. These findings suggest that an immaturity of cochlear nonlinearity persists into the first months of postnatal life. DPOAE suppression growth examined for a small group of hearing-impaired children also showed abnormalities.     

Low-frequency modulation of distortion product otoacoustic emissions in humans

Low-frequency modulation of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) was measured from the human ears. In the frequency domain, increasing the bias tone level resulted in a suppression of the cubic difference tone (CDT) and an increase in the magnitudes of the modulation sidebands. Higher-frequency bias tones were more efficient in producing the suppression and modulation. Quasi-static modulation patterns were derived from measuring the CDT amplitude at the peaks and troughs of bias tones with various amplitudes. The asymmetric bell-shaped pattern resembled the absolute value of the third derivative of a nonlinear cochlear transducer function. Temporal modulation patterns were obtained from inverse FFT of the spectral contents around the DPOAE. The period modulation pattern, averaged over multiple bias tone cycles, showed two CDT peaks each correlated with the zero-crossings of the bias tone. The typical period modulation pattern varied and the two CDT peaks emerged with the reduction in bias tone level. The present study replicated the previous experimental results in gerbils. This noninvasive technique is capable of revealing the static position and dynamic motion of the cochlear partition. Moreover, the results of the present study suggest that this technique could potentially be applied in the differential diagnosis of cochlear pathologies.     

Low-frequency four-photon spectroscopy of surface waves in semiconductors: A new mechanism of optical nonlinearity

A new mechanism of optical nonlinearity of intrinsic semiconductors is proposed, which is based on bandgap modulation due to the four-wave mixing of interacting waves on the semiconductor surface. This phenomenon is theoretically considered within a one-dimensional model. The corresponding resonances are experimentally found in Ge and Si samples.     

Stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emission: measurements in humans and simulations with an active cochlear model

An efficient method for measuring stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs) was developed incorporating (1) stimulus with swept frequency or level and (2) the digital heterodyne analysis. SFOAEs were measured for 550-1450 Hz and stimulus levels of 32-62 dB sound pressure level in eight normal human adults. The mean level, number of peaks, frequency spacing between peaks, phase change, and energy-weighted group delays of SFOAEs were determined. Salient features of the human SFOAEs were stimulated with an active cochlear model containing spatially low-pass filtered irregularity in the impedance. An objective fitting procedure yielded an optimal set of model parameters where, with decreasing stimulus level, the amount of cochlear amplification and the base amplitude of the irregularity increased while the spatial low-pass cutoff and the slope of the spatial low-pass filter decreased. The characteristics of the human cochlea were inferred with the model. In the model, an SFOAE consisted of a long-delay component originating from irregularity in a traveling-wave peak region and a short-delay component originating from irregularity in regions remote from the peak. The results of this study should be useful both for understanding cochlear function and for developing a clinical method of assessing cochlear status.     

对力学非线性和磁场非线性综合作用下扬声器低频跳变的探讨

力学非线性和磁场非线性是扬声器非线性现象的两个因素。本文分析了仅力学非线性的扬声器低频振动方程的临界跳变条件，采用等效线性化法讨论了磁场非线性对扬声器跳变的影响。证实了抑制扬声器跳变的有效途径是增大电磁耦合因子B1。     

Low-frequency oscillations in Hall thrusters

In this paper, we summarize the research development of low-frequency oscillations in the last few decades. The findings of physical mechanism, characteristics and stabilizing methods of low-frequency oscillations are discussed. It shows that it is unreasonable and incomplete to model an ionization region separately to analyze the physical mechanism of low-frequency oscillations. Electro-dynamics as well as the formation conditions of ionization distribution play an important role in characteristics and stabilizing of low-frequency oscillations. Understanding the physical mechanism and characteristics of low- frequency oscillations thoroughly and developing a feasible method stabilizing this instability are still important research subjects.     

Resonant electronic nonlinearity and laser heating induced nonlinearity of chlorophosphonazo I

The nonlinear refraction of chlorophosphonazo I (CPA I) was investigated using the Z-scan technique with a pulse Nd:YAG laser and a cw HeNe laser as excitation sources. Positive and large nonlinear refractive index attributed to resonant electronic nonlinear effect was observed under pulse 532 nm excitation. Under cw HeNe 633 nm excitation, the origin of optical nonlinearity was discussed in term of laser heating effect. The experimental results show that CPA I will have potential applications in nonlinear optical devices.     

Low-frequency breathers in polyethylene crystal

It is shown both analytically and numerically that three-dimensional low-frequency (acoustic) breathers identified as localized coupled bend and twist nonlinear waves can exist in polyethylene (PE) crystal. Their motion along the chain is accompanied by the simultaneous excitation of both (“zig” and “zag”) sub-chains forming PE macromolecule.In the region of a breather one can observe intensive out-of-plane motion of carbon atoms and relatively small displacements in the plane of the zigzag. In spite of this smallness, the “secondary” nonlinear effects turn out to be crucial for the existence of breathers.Both the existence and stability of low-frequency breathers in free motion are confirmed by computer simulation, using the Molecular Dynamics (MD) procedure. The stability of breathers with respect to thermal excitations as well as to mutual collisions and collisions with optical breathers is also discussed. We study also the breathers’ formation in different conditions. It turns out that the frequencies and extensions of the breathers can be varied in very narrow regions predicted by our analytical solution.     

Low-frequency optical phonons in silica

Measurements of low_frequency Raman spectra of silica fibers under longitudinal tensions as a function of temperature have been correlated with the measurements of FIR spectra of bulk silica in reflection and transmission. The results indicate existence of an LO-TO pair of a low-frequency optical phonon branch in amorphous silica.     

Solitons and poles in the nonlinearity parameter

The KdVN-soliton solutions are analysed in terms of the perturbation parameter λ which governs the nonlinearity. They are generated by rational Stieltjes functionsQ ^(N) (λ), each pole of which can be associated with a soliton. The asymptotic emergence of the separate solitons follows at once from the motion of the poles along the negative real λ-axis. Successive diagonal Padé approximants ofQ ^(N) (λ) are considered. They provide a class of approximate solutions with a striking semisoliton like behaviour.     

Low-frequency sound absorption and attenuation in marine medium

Original experimental data are analyzed on the low-frequency sound attenuation in the Mediterranean, Black, and Baltic Seas, Sea of Japan, and the north-western region of the Pacific Ocean. In these regions, waters significantly differ in their temperatures and salinities. The analysis is aimed at obtaining an expression for calculating the low-frequency absorption coefficient in sea water. The analysis uses the previously published data on the measured (by the temperature discontinuity method) low-frequency relaxation times associated with boron present in sea water. The dependence of the absorption on the pH value (which was revealed in the 1970s) and the experimental data on sound absorption at frequencies higher than 5–10 kHz are also taken into account. As a result of the analysis based on the assumption that low-frequency relaxation takes place, an expression is proposed that relates the low-frequency absorption to the temperature, salinity, and pH value and equally well describes the experimental frequency dependences of attenuation for the four regions at hand (except for the Baltic Sea). Increased attenuation coefficients are noticed for shallow seas and deep-water regions where waters are influenced by intense currents, strait zones, and zones of mixing waters of different origin, i.e., for the ocean areas where, in addition to the attenuation, sound scattering by inhomogeneities of the marine medium and sound energy leakage into the sea floor are significant.     

Low-frequency lattice vibrations in β-alumina

The elastic constants of M β-alumina (M = Na, K, Rb, Ag and TL) are obtained from polarized Brillouin scattering spectra. The frequency versus wave-vector dispersion curves near the Γ-point are calculated from the elastic constants obtained in the harmonic approximation by using a rigid ion model in which a spinel block composed of Al³⁺ and O^2- is considered as one rigid ion. The vibrational frequency or the attempt frequency of the mobile ion in β-alumina is related not only to the mass of the mobile ion but also to the force constant between the spinel block and the mobile ion, which participates in the elastic constant C₄₄.