Acoustical holography

OCT 01, 1974

Some things—brain tumors, faulty welds—are better “seen” by sound than by light, but there are complications that holographic techniques may be able to resolve.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3128916

Pal Greguss

A frequent first reaction to the suggestion that sound can be used to form images is one of surprise, for the sensing of sonic images is outside the realm of our normal experience. Since the wavepropagation characteristics of sound are similar to those of light, however, such a possibility exists, providing that a sonic image can somehow be converted into a visual experience. A number of means of doing that have been developed; their advantages and disadvantages are discussed below. The ability to “see” with sound would allow us to “look” into opaque objects or “see” through murky water.

References

1. D. Gabor, Nobel lecture, Stockholm (1972).
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More about the Authors

Pal Greguss. Physikalisches Institut of the Technische Hochschule Darmstadt.