Acoustic sampling volume

Abstract

Knowledge of the acoustic sampling volume is necessary in many quantitative applications of acoustics. In general, the sampling volume is not merely a characteristic of the transmitting and receiving transducers, but also depends on the concentration and scattering properties of the target, the kind of signal processing performed on the echo, and the detection threshold. These dependences are stated explicitly in formulas for the sampling volume and a differential measure, the effective equivalent beam angle. Numerical examples are given for dispersed or dense concentrations of both point scatterers and directional fish scatterers. Application of theory to optical and other remote sensing techniques is mentioned.