North Pacific Acoustic Lab and Deep Water Acoustics

Abstract

The ultimate limitations to the performance of long-range sonar are due to ocean sound speed perturbations and the characteristics of the ambient acoustic noise field. Scattering and diffraction resulting from internal waves and other ocean processes limit the temporal and spatial coherence of the received signal, while the ambient noise field is in direct competition with the received signal. Research conducted in the North Pacific Acoustic Laboratory (NPAL) and Deep Water Acoustics programs at the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL-UW) is directed toward a complete understanding of the basic physics of low-frequency, long-range, deep water, broadband acoustic propagation, the effects of ocean variability on signal coherence, and the fundamental limits to signal processing at long-range that are imposed by ocean processes. The long-term goal of this research is to optimize advanced signal processing techniques, including matched-field processing and adaptive array processing methods, based upon knowledge about the multi-dimensional character of the propagation and noise fields and their impact on long-range ocean acoustic signal transmissions. OBJECTIVES The scientific objectives of the North Pacific Acoustic Laboratory and Deep Water Acoustics research are: 1. To study the spatial and temporal coherence of long-range, low-frequency resolved rays and modes and the dependence upon ocean processes, transmission distance, and signal frequency. 2. To explore the range and frequency dependence of the higher order statistics of resolved ray and mode arrivals and of the highly scattered finale observed in previous experiments.