Acoustic radiation force on a sphere without restriction to axisymmetric fields

Abstract

The analysis presented at the previous ASA meeting related to investigation of the acoustic radiation force on a sphere embedded in a soft elastic medium with shear modulus that is several orders of magnitude smaller than its bulk modulus. The acoustic field was assumed to be axisymmetric and the spherical scatterer to be located on the axis of the acoustic beam. When one of these conditions is violated, the problem loses its symmetry. In this talk, the acoustic radiation force is considered in the more general case of nonaxisymmetric fields. The calculation is performed in Lagrangian coordinates. All acoustic fields, incident as well as scattered, depend on all three spherical coordinates. The incident and scattered waves, which include both potential and solenoidal parts, are expanded with respect to spherical harmonics. An analytical expression for the acoustic radiation force derived in this investigation may contain as many spherical harmonics as needed. In limiting cases when the scatterer is in liquid and only two modes, monopole and dipole, remain in the scattered fields, the solution for the acoustic radiation force recovers the results reported by Gor’kov [Sov. Phys. Doklady 6, 773 (1962)]. [Work supported by NIH DK070618 and EB011603.]