Reflections on "Parametric acoustic array," source of virtual-array sonars.

The Reflections series takes a look back on historical articles from The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America that have had a significant impact on the science and practice of acoustics.

Acousto-optic effect compensation for optical determination of the normal velocity distribution associated with acoustic transducer radiation.

The acousto-optic effect, in which an acoustic wave causes variations in the optical index of refraction, imposes a fundamental limitation on the determination of the normal velocity, or normal displacement, distribution on the surface of an acoustic transducer or optically reflecting pellicle by a scanning heterodyne, or homodyne, laser interferometer. A general method of compensation is developed for a pulsed harmonic pressure field, transmitted by an acoustic transducer, in which the laser beam can transit the transducer nearfield. By representing the pressure field by the Rayleigh integral, the basic equation for the unknown normal velocity on the surface of the transducer or pellicle is transformed into a Fredholm equation of the second kind.

Discriminating between the nearfield and the farfield of acoustic transducers.

Measurements of the performance of acoustic transducers, as well as ordinary measurements made with the same, may require discriminating between the farfield, where the field is spherically divergent, and the complementary nearfield, where the field structure is more complicated. The problem is addressed for a planar circular piston projector, with uniform normal velocity distribution, mounted in an infinite planar rigid baffle. The inward-extrapolated farfield pressure amplitude pf is compared with the exact nearfield pressure amplitude pn, modeled by the Rayleigh integral, through the error 20 log |pf /pn|.

Range compensation for backscattering measurements in the difference-frequency nearfield of a parametric sonar.

Measurement of acoustic backscattering properties of targets requires removal of the range dependence of echoes. This process is called range compensation. For conventional sonars making measurements in the transducer farfield, the compensation removes effects of geometrical spreading and absorption.

Sonar-induced pressure fields in a post-mortem common dolphin.

Potential physical effects of sonar transmissions on marine mammals were investigated by measuring pressure fields induced in a 119-kg, 211-cm-long, young adult male common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) cadaver. The specimen was instrumented with tourmaline acoustic pressure gauges used as receiving sensors. Gauge implantation near critical tissues was guided by intraoperative, high-resolution, computerized tomography (CT) scanning.

Detecting Atlantic herring by parametric sonar.

The difference-frequency band of the Kongsberg TOPAS PS18 parametric sub-bottom profiling sonar, nominally 1-6 kHz, is being used to observe Atlantic herring. Representative TOPAS echograms of herring layers and schools observed in situ in December 2008 and November 2009 are presented. These agree well with echograms of volume backscattering strength derived simultaneously with the narrowband Simrad EK60/18- and 38-kHz scientific echo sounder, also giving insight into herring avoidance behavior in relation to survey vessel passage.

Calibration sphere for low-frequency parametric sonars.

The problem of calibrating parametric sonar systems at low difference frequencies used in backscattering applications is addressed. A particular parametric sonar is considered: the Simrad TOPAS PS18 Parametric Sub-bottom Profiler. This generates difference-frequency signals in the band 0.

Acoustic detection and quantification of benthic egg beds of the squid Loligo opalescens in Monterey Bay, California.

The squid Loligo opalescens is a key species in the nearshore pelagic community of California, supporting the most valuable state marine fishery, yet the stock biomass is unknown. In southern Monterey Bay, extensive beds occur on a flat, sandy bottom, water depths 20-60 m, thus sidescan sonar is a prima-facie candidate for use in rapid, synoptic, and noninvasive surveying. The present study describes development of an acoustic method to detect, identify, and quantify squid egg beds by means of high-frequency sidescan-sonar imagery.

Protocols for calibrating multibeam sonar.

Development of protocols for calibrating multibeam sonar by means of the standard-target method is documented. Particular systems used in the development work included three that provide the water-column signals, namely the SIMRAD SM2000/90- and 200-kHz sonars and RESON SeaBat 8101 sonar, with operating frequency of 240 kHz. Two facilities were instrumented specifically for the work: a sea well at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and a large, indoor freshwater tank at the University of New Hampshire.

Depth-dependent target strengths of gadoids by the boundary-element method.

The depth dependence of fish target strength has mostly eluded experimental investigation because of the need to distinguish it from depth-dependent behavioral effects, which may change the orientation distribution. The boundary-element method (BEM) offers an avenue of approach. Based on detailed morphometric data on 15 gadoid swimbladders, the BEM has been exercised to determine how the orientation dependence of target strength changes with pressure under the assumption that the fish swimbladder remains constant in shape and volume.

Comparing Kirchhoff-approximation and boundary-element models for computing gadoid target strengths.

To establish the validity of the boundary-element method (BEM) for modeling scattering by swimbladder-bearing fish, the BEM is exercised in several ways. In a computation of backscattering by a 50-mm-diam spherical void in sea water at the four frequencies 38.1, 49.