PC3400 Survey of Underwater Acoustics

Introduction to the physics of the generation, propagation, and detection of sound in the ocean. Topics include the active and passive sonar equations; radiation of sound; acoustic wave equation and wave propagation; the ray approximation, normal mode propagation, the parabolic equation approximation; propagation uncertainty; reflection of plane waves from plane boundaries; speed of sound and absorption; transmission-loss and detection-threshold models; horizontal and vertical linear arrays. Discussions include literature reviews and assignments focus on modeling of sonar equation components and data processing.

Lecture Hours

4

Lab Hours

0

Course Learning Outcomes

• Understand how sound propagates from the source to the receiver in underwater acoustic waveguides
• Identify terms in the sonar equation
• Understand the importance of noise for underwater acoustic sonar signal processing  
• Apply transmission loss approximations to specific waveguides
• Understand the differences between various computational transmission loss models
• Conceptual understanding of plane wave beamforming and apply array-processing to simulations and data
• Be able to combine above tools and interpret sound propagation results