2020/01/13 by Victor H. S. Santos, Victor H.S. Santos, Santos, Victor H. S. +10
Engineering · Medicine · Physics and Astronomy · #Applied Physics (physics.app-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Photoacoustic and Ultrasonic Imaging #Ultrasonics and Acoustic Wave Propagation #Ultrasound Imaging and Elastography #physics.app-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2001.04315
15 pages, 7 figures
arxiv created 2020/01/13 · openalex publication_date 2020/01/13 · arxiv updated 2020/01/14 · openalex created_date 2020/01/23 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Ultrasonic superresolution images can be generated by means of (super) focusing acoustic beams to subwavelength dimensions or using algorithm-based methods. Here, we demonstrate that ultrasonic pulses which are superfocused by a ball-shaped lens can be used to produce superresolution images. The imaging system is comprised of a circular flat transducer with an operation frequency of 1 MHz, and a ball lens centered in the beam axis of symmetry. The corresponding wavelength in water is λ0 = 1.53 mm. The system resolution is 0.6λ0 in the focal plane at one wavelength away from the lens. The superresolution method is compared with a conventional ultrasonic system based on a spherically focused transducer. Our method presents twice more resolution with a shorter depth-of-field of 2λ0. Possible applications that take advantage of these features are discussed, as well as some limitations of the proposed technique.