Analysis and Design of Optical-Acoustic Techniques to Approach Fundamental Limits of Detection acros
Abstract
This program aims to develop a prototype of a Photoacoustic Airborne Sonar System (PASS) which can image underwater environments from an airborne platform. Previous work has demonstrated the proof-of-concept in a lab based setup. The operation of the system is illustrated in Figure 1. An intensity modulated laser is used to create underwater acoustic waves through the photoacoustic effect. The generated acoustic waves propagate under water, reflecting back from any targets that are present. The reflected acoustic waves pass through the air-water interface and are collected with highly sensitive capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs). Custom algorithms are used to reconstruct images of the underwater environment. Through this extended program, we aim to improve 1) imaging resolution, 2) achievable depths, and 3) imaging throughput achievable with PASS while focusing on system integration and miniaturization. To achieve these goals - on the transmitter side of the system - we will explore advanced laser excitation techniques and signal encoding schemes and - on the receiver side of the system - we will explore multi-element transducer arrays, develop surface mapping techniques (to enable imaging when the water has surface waves), and improve image reconstruction algorithms. Specific details about these tasks are outlined in later sections. This abstract is approved for public release
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2022
- Source ID
- N000142212380
Entities
People
- Amin Arbabian
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- Stanford University
- United States Navy