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Related Concept Videos

Echo01:06

Echo

The human ear cannot distinguish between two sources of sound if they happen to reach within a specific time interval, typically 0.1 seconds apart. More than this, and they are perceived as separate sources.
Imagine the sound is reflected back to the ears. Assuming that the source is very close to the human, the difference between hearing the two sounds—the emitted sound and the reflected sound—may be more than the minimum time for perceiving distinct sounds. If this is the case, then the...
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When a wave travels from one medium to another, it gets reflected at the boundary of the second medium. A common example of this is when a person yells at a distance from a cliff and hears the echo of their voice. The sound waves (longitudinal waves) traveling in the air are reflected from the bounding cliff. Similarly, flipping one end of a string whose other end is tied to a wall causes a pulse (transverse wave) to travel through the string, which gets reflected upon reaching the wall. In...
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When a wave propagates from one medium to another, part of it may get reflected in the first medium, and part of it may get transmitted to the second medium. In such a case, the interface of the two mediums can be considered as a boundary that is neither fixed nor free.
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...
Interference and Superposition of Waves01:07

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When two waves of the same nature occur in the same region simultaneously, they result in interference. Interference of waves implies that the net effect of the waves is the sum of the individual waves' effects. However, it does not imply that the individual waves affect the propagation of other waves.
Interference occurs in mechanical waves, such as sound waves, waves on a string, and surface water waves. Mechanical waves correspond to the physical displacement of particles. Hence,...
Sound Waves: Interference00:53

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Sound waves can be modeled either as longitudinal waves, wherein the molecules of the medium oscillate around an equilibrium position, or as pressure waves. When two identical waves from the same source superimpose on each other, the combination of two crests or two troughs results in amplitude reinforcement known as constructive interference. If two identical waves, that are initially in phase, become out of phase because of different path lengths, the combination of crests with troughs...
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A Stable Phantom Material for Optical and Acoustic Imaging
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Coherent backscattering effect from mid-frequency shallow water reverberation.

Karim G Sabra1

  • 1School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0405, USA. karim.sabra@me.gatech.edu

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|December 2, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Coherent backscattering, an effect of wave interference, doubles backscattered intensity in shallow waters. This study experimentally observed this phenomenon in mid-frequency reverberation using a hydrophone array.

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Area of Science:

  • Acoustics
  • Wave physics
  • Oceanography

Background:

  • Coherent backscattering (CBS) arises from constructive interference of multiply scattered waves along reciprocal paths.
  • This phenomenon typically enhances backscattered intensity by a factor of two in the backward direction.
  • CBS is well-established in optics but less explored in underwater acoustics, particularly in shallow water environments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally investigate the presence of coherent backscattering in shallow water reverberation.
  • To analyze mid-frequency acoustic reverberation data for evidence of CBS.
  • To assess the significance of coherent effects in shallow water acoustics.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a two-dimensional hydrophone array (8.4 × 1.5 m²) for acoustic measurements.
  • Collected reverberation data in a shallow water environment at mid-frequencies (3-4 kHz).
  • Analyzed intensity measurements averaged over multiple emission angles to identify CBS characteristics.

Main Results:

  • Experimental observations confirmed the coherent backscattering effect in shallow water reverberation.
  • The study demonstrated a measurable enhancement in backscattered intensity consistent with CBS predictions.
  • The findings indicate that coherent effects are present in shallow water acoustics.

Conclusions:

  • Coherent backscattering is a demonstrable phenomenon in shallow water acoustic reverberation.
  • This effect, often overlooked, influences acoustic signal propagation and interpretation in shallow seas.
  • Further research is needed to fully understand and model CBS in complex shallow water environments.