Can also diffracted sound be handled as flow of particles? Some new results of a beam tracing approach based on the uncertainty principle

Abstract

In computational room acoustics as well as noise immission prognosis efficient ray or beam tracing methods are well approved ‐ but the problem of the neglected diffraction is still unsolved in general. The author's successful approach of 1986 based on Heisenbergs uncertainty principle was extended to the more efficient beam tracing technique and presented at the ICA 2007. The algorithm has now been generalized to recursive higher order diffraction. Now, not only single edge, but also multiple edge diffraction could be simulated (slit and “wide obstacle” with two edges). The results have again been compared with Svensson's exact wave‐theoretical secondary edge source model. With some restrictions, they seem to indicate, that indeed even diffraction of sound ‐ like light ‐ may be handled as flow of particles. To avoid the feared explosion of computation time with higher order diffraction, a beam reunification may now be achieved by Quantized Pyramidal Beam Tracing.