Photoacoustic ultrasound sources from diffusion-limited aggregates

Metallic diffusion-limited aggregate (DLA) films are well-known to exhibit near-perfect broadband optical absorption. We demonstrate that such films also manifest a substantial and relatively material-independent photoacoustic response, as a consequence of their random nanostructure. We theoreticall...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2016-10
Main Authors: Patel, Krutik, Brubaker, Morgan, Kotlerman, Alexander, Salazar, Robert, Wolf, Eli, Weld, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic coupling
Acoustics
Broadband
Sound sources
Ultrasonic testing
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Metallic diffusion-limited aggregate (DLA) films are well-known to exhibit near-perfect broadband optical absorption. We demonstrate that such films also manifest a substantial and relatively material-independent photoacoustic response, as a consequence of their random nanostructure. We theoretically and experimentally analyze photoacoustic phenomena in DLA films, and show that they can be used to create broadband air- coupled acoustic sources. These sources are inexpensive and simple to fabricate, and work into the ultrasonic regime. We illustrate the device possibilities by building and testing an optically-addressed acoustic phased array capable of producing virtually arbitrary acoustic intensity patterns in air.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1510.00228