Acoustics, as a research area, is the scientific study of generation, propagation, interaction, and detection of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids across audible, infrasonic, and ultrasonic frequency ranges. It encompasses theoretical and experimental analysis of wave equations, sound fields, impedance, reflection, refraction, scattering, absorption, and nonlinear effects in complex media and structures. Subfields include physical acoustics, architectural acoustics, aeroacoustics, underwater and ocean acoustics, ultrasonics, vibroacoustics, and acoustical signal processing. Research in acoustics underpins technologies for imaging, nondestructive evaluation, noise control, transducer design, acoustic metamaterials, and advanced measurement techniques for characterizing materials, devices, and environments using sound.
At the heart of every camera is a sensor, whether that sensor is a collection of light-detecting pixels or a strip of 35-millimeter film. But what happens when you want to take a picture of something so small that the sensor ...
Nanophysics
Dec 15, 2025
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One of the most important steps in the evolution of modern mammals was the development of highly sensitive hearing. The middle ear of mammals, with an eardrum and several small bones, allows us to hear a broad range of frequencies ...
Evolution
Dec 8, 2025
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83
Acoustic signals have been important markers during NASA's Mars missions. Measurements of sound can provide information both about Mars itself—such as turbulence in its atmosphere, changes in its temperature, and its surface ...
Planetary Sciences
Dec 4, 2025
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20
Acoustic frequency filters, which convert electrical signals into miniaturized sound waves, separate the different frequency bands for mobile communications, Wi-Fi, and GPS in smartphones. Physicists at RPTU have now shown ...
Condensed Matter
Nov 28, 2025
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214
A world-famous light experiment from 1801 has now been carried out with sound for the first time. Research by physicists in Leiden has produced new insights that could be applied in 5G devices and the emerging field of quantum ...
Optics & Photonics
Nov 13, 2025
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New research led by UH Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) has drastically increased the understanding of Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi) underwater sound production, ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 11, 2025
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95
Sounds can alter the way the brain interprets what it sees. This is the key finding of a new study by SISSA researchers in Trieste, published in PLOS Computational Biology. The research shows that, when sounds are paired ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 6, 2025
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77
Researchers from Skoltech, ITMO University, and their colleagues have reported new findings about the behavior of microbubbles exposed to ultrasound. The data obtained by the team will enable the creation of more stable and ...
Bio & Medicine
Oct 30, 2025
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31
Scientists at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have discovered a way to control sound and vibrations using a concept inspired by "twistronics," a phenomenon originally developed ...
Condensed Matter
Oct 13, 2025
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94
In natural ecosystems, soundscapes are made up of animal sounds, environmental noises, and human activity. Because different animals vocalize at different times and frequencies, researchers can study audio recordings to understand ...
Ecology
Sep 25, 2025
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