Sound wave techniques are experimental and analytical methods that generate, manipulate, and detect acoustic waves to probe, image, or modify materials and systems. In research, they encompass ultrasound imaging, acoustic microscopy, non-destructive evaluation via bulk and surface acoustic waves, and acoustic spectroscopy for characterizing elastic, viscoelastic, or porous media. These techniques exploit frequency-dependent propagation, reflection, refraction, scattering, attenuation, and mode conversion of longitudinal and shear waves. They are implemented using piezoelectric transducers or laser-based sources and detectors, and are used to measure mechanical properties, detect defects, monitor processes, and study wave–matter interactions across solid, liquid, and gaseous environments.
Experiments coupling light and sound reveal the surprising effect that measuring nothing can cool the vibrations of an object.
Optics & Photonics
Feb 24, 2025
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127
A new review article unveils the world of flexible micromachined ultrasound transducers (MUTs), an emerging technology at the intersection of wearables, ultrasound, and MEMS. These cutting-edge devices, which include both ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 21, 2025
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49
Cells have surface receptors called integrins that bind to repetitive domains present on the extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding the cells, allowing them to grow and spread. A new study from the Department of Bioengineering ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 18, 2025
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53
Electric sparks are used for welding, powering electronics, killing germs or for igniting the fuel in some car engines. Despite their usefulness, they are hard to control in open space—they split into chaotic branches that ...
Plasma Physics
Feb 6, 2025
1
259
Researchers have developed a new method for quickly detecting and identifying very low concentrations of gases. The new approach, called coherently controlled quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy, could form the basis ...
Optics & Photonics
Jan 9, 2025
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75
A ultrasound technique from the University of Nottingham will allow the production of sharper images inside live cells without causing damage at resolutions that were previously unattainable.
Optics & Photonics
Nov 22, 2024
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73
A team of researchers has for the first time successfully used lasers to generate guided sound waves on the surface of a microchip. These acoustic waves, akin to the surface waves produced during an earthquake, travel across ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 23, 2024
1
121
Developing antiviral therapeutics and vaccines requires close study of the viruses that cause disease. But how can these small germs be isolated from complex biological samples like saliva?
Bio & Medicine
Sep 9, 2024
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61
Scientists have made a significant leap in developing lasers that use sound waves instead of light. These phonon lasers hold promise for advancements in medical imaging, deep-sea exploration, and other areas.
Optics & Photonics
Sep 6, 2024
0
180
Researchers at ETH Zurich have managed to make sound waves travel only in one direction. In the future, this method could also be used in technical applications with electromagnetic waves.
General Physics
Sep 6, 2024
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1162
