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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

A Stable Phantom Material for Optical and Acoustic Imaging
Published on: June 16, 2023
Comparison of simulations and data from a seismo-acoustic tank experiment
Jon M Collis1, William L Siegmann, Michael D Collins
1Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA. jcollis@bu.edu
Abstract:
A tank experiment was carried out to investigate underwater sound propagation over an elastic bottom in flat and sloping configurations. The purpose of the experiment was to evaluate range-dependent propagation models with high-quality experimental data. The sea floor was modeled as an elastic medium by a polyvinyl chloride slab. The relatively high rigidity of the slab requires accounting for shear waves in this environment. Acoustic measurements were obtained along virtual arrays in the water column using a robotic apparatus. Elastic parabolic equation solutions are in excellent agreement with data.
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