Parametric (directional) sound radiation

Development of numerical algorithms, transducer design


Audible sound (i.e., of low frequency) has weak attenuation (i.e., can propagate over long distances), but is also characterized by rapid divergence (i.e., are difficult to direct in a specific direction).

Ultrasonic waves (i.e., of high frequency), on the contrary, can have a pronounced directionality, but tend to rapidly attenuate in the propagation medium. However, at high power, two high-frequency waves are capable of nonlinear (parametric) interaction — generation of many additional harmonics (frequencies). In this case, the difference (lowest) frequency wave is narrowly directional and is able to propagate along a sufficient distance from the source, whereas the high-frequency waves quickly attenuate. Thus, inaudible ultrasound can generate, for example, audible sound that is directional and far-propagating.

Therefore, parametric generation of a difference-frequency wave is actively used in various applications:

  • highly directional audible sound in the air (contactless audio guides in the libraries and museums, active noise control systems);
  • highly directional signal that propagates over long distances in the water (profiling sea-bottom structures and long-range ocean research);
  • medical applications (ultrasound difference-frequency imaging, contrast elastography), etc.

Such interaction of two high-frequency pump waves can be numerically calculated using the Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov (KZK) equation. In this case, to perform three-dimensional calculations, it is necessary to optimize the algorithms by taking into account only the most significant spectral components of the nonlinear wave.

LIMU tasks

  • Development of new numerical algorithms for solving three-dimensional parametric problems in highly nonlinear regimes
  • Investigation of features of parametric difference-frequency wave generation
  • Numerical calculations to define optimal characteristics of parametric sound radiation
  • Development of specialized parametric sources for specific medical and industrial applications

Activity types

  • numerical modeling
  • transducer design

Contacts

Details

  • in a demo
  • in a short video
  • in the papers below

[1] Fully nonlinear three-dimensional modeling of parametric interactions in the field of a dual-frequency acoustic array / A. V. Kvashennikova, P. V. Yuldashev, V. A. Khokhlova, I. B. Esipov // Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. — 2024. — Vol. 155, no. 3. — P. 1682–1693. DOI: 10.1121/10.0025049

[2] Quasilinear approximation for modeling difference-frequency acoustic wave in a diffracting pump-wave beam / A. V. Tyurina, P. V. Yuldashev, I. B. Esipov, V. A. Khokhlova // Acoustical Physics. — 2023. — Vol. 69, no. 1. — P. 30–39. DOI: 10.1134/S1063771022700014

[3] Spectral modeling of difference-frequency generation in the case of two-frequency interaction of ultrasound waves / A. V. Tyurina, P. V. Yuldashev, I. B. Esipov, V. A. Khokhlova // Acoustical Physics. — 2022. — Vol. 68, no. 2. — P. 130–137. DOI: 10.1134/s1063771022020105

[4] Demodulation of pulsed acoustic signals in strongly nonlinear propagation regimes / A. V. Kvashennikova, M. S. Sergeeva, P. V. Yuldashev et al. // Acoustical Physics. — 2024. — Vol. 70, no. 5. — P. 797–807. DOI: 10.1134/s1063771024602279

[5] Parametric acoustic array and Its application in underwater acoustic engineering / H. Zhou , S. H. Huang, W. Li // Sensors (Basel). 2020 10;20(7):2148. DOI: 10.3390/s20072148.

[6] Development of parametric loudspeaker / C. Shi, G. Woon-Seng // IEEE Potentials. 2010 29: 20 – 24. DOI: 10.1109/MPOT.2010.938148