Bandwidth Limitations in Characterization of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Fields in the Presence of Shocks

Abstract

Nonlinear propagation effects result in the formation of weak shocks in high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) fields. When shocks are present, the wave spectrum consists of hundreds of harmonics. In practice, shock waves are modeled using a finite number of harmonics and measured with hydrophones that have limited bandwidths. The goal of this work was to determine how many harmonics are necessary to model or measure peak pressures, intensity, and heat deposition rates of the HIFU fields. Numerical solutions of the Khokhlov‐Zabolotskaya‐Kuznetzov‐type (KZK) nonlinear parabolic equation were obtained using two independent algorithms, compared, and analyzed for nonlinear propagation in water, in gel phantom, and in tissue. Measurements were performed in the focus of the HIFU field in the same media using fiber optic probe hydrophones of various bandwidths. Experimental data were compared to the simulation results.