The reconstruction of transducer vibration patterns from the amplitude distribution of the radiated pressure field alone

Abstract

The reconstruction of transducer vibration patterns can readily be achieved by the well-established technique of applying a back projection algorithm to measurements of the complex pressure distribution over a plane parallel to the source plane. The fidelity of the reconstruction depends upon the accuracy and the precision of the pressure measurements. Pressure amplitude measurements can be made with reasonable accuracy over a large dynamic range using piezoelectric hydrophone probes, but phase measurements may be significantly less accurate, particularly at low pressure intensities. It is therefore of interest to explore the possibilities of source reconstruction from amplitude measurements alone. This contribution reports on the results of source reconstruction achieved by the application of the Gerchberg-Saxton phase recovery algorithm. The use of simulated data enabled some criteria for successful reconstruction to be established. Its potential as a viable technique is discussed in the light of the results to be presented.