3D Acoustic Model for Geometrically Constrained Environments

Systems that operate in constrained environments depend on the acoustics in several ways. Harbor defense systems detect intruders (people and/or vessels) by either listening for their noises (passively) or by pinging on them and detecting their echoes (actively). Furthermore, such systems may also form the equivalent of an underwater cell phone network using sound to carry the information. The acoustic channel may be used to control the underwater system or to provide information back to a shore-based site. For instance, the RFP mentions a Phase III transition to the Advanced Undersea Weapons System in which mines are controlled through an acoustic comms network.Acoustic models allow one to predict system performance and then optimize system parameters, such as the location of sonar transmitters and receivers. This project will lead to mature propagation and reverberation models for that application.