Cloud cavitation is potentially the most destructive form of cavitation. When the cloud cavitation is acoustically forced into a collapse, it has the potential to concentrate a very high pressure, more than 100 times the acoustic pressure, at its center. We experimentally investigate a method to control the collapse of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)-induced cloud cavitation to fragment kidney stones. Our study examines a novel two-frequency wave designed to control the cloud cavitation (cavitation control [C-C] waveform); a high-frequency ultrasound pulse (1 to 4 MHz) to create the cloud cavitation and a low-frequency trailing pulse (545 kHz) following the high-frequency pulse to force the cloud into collapse. High-speed photography has revealed that a localized distribution of the cloud cavitation can be produced within 1 mm on the solid surface by the high-frequency pulse. The low-frequency ultrasound was irradiated to the high-frequency-induced cloud cavitation. A subsequent shock wave emitted from the cloud cavitation was observed both in the shadowgraph photography and the remote hydrophone measurement. Furthermore, in vitro erosion tests of model and natural stones were conducted. In the case of model stones, the erosion rate of the C-C waveform showed a distinct advantage with the combined high- and low-frequency waves over either wave alone. Natural stones were eroded and most of the resulting fragments were less than 1 mm in diameter. The results show that the control of the cloud cavitation has untapped potential for the lithotripsy applications upon further optimization of the ultrasound parameters and complementary in vivo studies.

Cloud cavitation control for lithotripsy using high intensity focused ultrasound.

In the medical ultrasound field, microbubbles have recently been the subject of much interest. Controlling actively the effect of the microbubbles, a novel therapeutic method has been investigated. In this paper, our works on high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) lithotripsy with cavitating microbubbles are reviewed and the cavitation detection method to optimize the HIFU intensity is investigated. In the HIFU lithotripsy, collapse of the cloud cavitation is used to fragment kidney stones. Cloud cavitation is potentially the most destructive form of cavitation. When the cloud cavitation is acoustically forced into a collapse, it has the potential to concentrate a very high pressure. For the control of the cloud cavitation collapse, a novel two-frequency wave (cavitation control [C-C] waveform) is designed; a high-frequency ultrasound pulse (1-4 MHz) to create the cloud cavitation and a low-frequency trailing pulse (500 kHz) following the high-frequency pulse to force the cloud into collapse. High-speed photography showed the cavitation collapse on the stone and the shock-wave emission from the cloud. In vitro erosion tests of model and natural stones were also conducted. In the case of model stones, the erosion rate of the C-C waveform showed a distinct advantage with the combined high- and low-frequency waves over either wave alone. For the optimization of the high-frequency ultrasound intensity, the subharmonic acoustic pressure was examined. The results showed relationship between the subharmonic pressure from cavitating bubbles induced by the high-frequency ultrasound and eroded volume of the model stones. Natural stones were eroded and most of the resulting fragments were less than 1 mm in diameter. The method has the potential to provide a novel lithotripsy system with small fragments and localized cavitating bubbles on a stone.

High intensity focused ultrasound lithotripsy with cavitating microbubbles.

Dramatically different cavitation was produced by two separate acoustic pulses that had different shapes but similar duration, frequency content, and peak positive and negative pressure. Both pulses were produced by a Dornier HM-3 style lithotripter: one pulse when the ellipsoidal reflector was rigid, the other when the reflector was pressure release. The cavitation, or bubble action, generated by the conventional rigid-reflector pulse was nearly 50 times longer lived and 3–13 times stronger than that produced by the pressure-release-reflector pulse. Cavitation durations measured by passive acoustic detection and high-speed video agreed with calculations based on the Gilmore equation. Cavitation intensity, or destructive potential, was judged (1) experimentally by the size of pits in aluminum foil detectors and (2) numerically by the calculated amplitude of the shock wave emitted by a collapsing bubble. The results indicate that the trailing positive spike in the pressure-release-reflector waveform stifles bubble growth and mitigates the collapse, whereas the trough after the positive spike in the rigid-reflector waveform triggers inertially driven growth and collapse. The two reflectors therefore provide a tool to compare effects in weakly and strongly cavitating fields and thereby help assess cavitation’s role in lithotripsy.

Comparison of electrohydraulic lithotripters with rigid and pressure-release ellipsoidal reflectors. I. Acoustic fields

In an optical sensor, a light emission system emits an irradiated light of a linear polarization in a first polarization direction toward a surface of a target object having a sheet shape from an incident direction which is inclined with respect to a normal direction of the surface. A first light detection system includes a first light detector arranged on a first light path of a specular reflected light, which is emitted from the light emission system and is specularly reflected from the target object. A second light detection system includes a second light detector arranged on a second light path of a diffuse reflected light which is diffusely reflected from an incident plane on the target object. The second light detector receives second light passed by an optical element which passes a linear polarization component of a second polarization direction perpendicular to the first polarization direction.

Optical sensor and image forming apparatus

An imaging spectrometer based on a Fabry-Perot interferometer is presented. The Fabry-Perot interferometer scans the mirror distance up to contact and the intensity modulated light signal is transformed using a Fourier Transform based algorithm, as the Michelson based Fourier Transform Spectrometers does. The resulting instrument has the advantage of a compact, high numerical aperture, high luminosity hyperspectral imaging device. Theory of operation is described along with one experimental realization and preliminary results.

Compact imaging spectrometer combining Fourier transform spectroscopy with a Fabry-Perot interferometer

Method and apparatus are described for determining if an optically variable material (OVM) is present in or on a surface, typically of a security document such as a banknote. In some embodiments the particular type of OVM is identified. In other embodiments a pass or fail signal is generated depending on whether a specific OVM is found on the surface. The surface is subjected to at least two different wavelengths of illuminating light at a particular angle to the surface and the intensity of the light reflected and/or scattered light from the surface is determined using photodiodes. The analogue output from the photodiodes may be digitised and the digital values processed according to one or another of different algorithms described, so as to produce an output signal whose value can be compared with one or more stored reference values in a look-up table, to produce a decision signal. Comparison of the analogue photodiode output signal values against a look-up table can be used to indicate the concentration of the OVM on the surface. Methods and apparatus are described for document authentication and identification, coating quality control and document sorting, by employing the methods and apparatus described.

Detection of printing and coating media

This paper describes a compact imaging Fourier transform spectrometer with high numerical aperture. In comparison with other optical arrangements in which extended interferometer paths are required for the inclusion of dispersion compensation optics, this technique utilizes a rudimentary cubic beam splitter based Michelson interferometer with minimal optical path so that the numerical aperture of the system is maximized. Mathematical modelling is presented showing that the fringe distortions caused by the dispersion in the cubic beam splitter can be entirely removed without any loss of the spectral information. An illustration of the power of the technique is given classifying between different plant foliage performed using a Fisher discriminant function based optimal linear filtering.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0957-0233/17/11/001/pdf

A compact, high numerical aperture imaging Fourier transform spectrometer and its application

An electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) and acoustic lens have been constructed to provide reproducible and well characterized acoustic shock waves in water. The peak pressure amplitude variation for the unfocused and focused shock waves was found to be within +or-5%. The focal region has been characterized both optically and by conventional piezoelectric pressure measurements. Optical investigations centre around ruby laser illuminated Schlieren and focused shadow imaging. The temporal resolution of the optical technique was determined by the ruby laser pulse length of 20 ns, giving a spatial resolution of 30 mu m for a shock front in water.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-9155/38/11/003/pdf

Optical imaging of shock waves produced by a high-energy electromagnetic transducer.

This paper reviews Holographic Particle Image Velocimetry (HPIV) as a means to make three-component velocity measurements throughout a three-dimensional flow-field of interest. A simplified treatment of three-dimensional scalar wave propagation is outlined and subsequently used to illustrate the principles of complex correlation analysis. It is shown that this type of analysis provides the three-dimensional correlation of the propagating, monochromatic fields recorded by the hologram. A similar approach is used to analyse the Object Conjugate Reconstruction (OCR) technique to resolve directional ambiguity by introducing an artificial image shift to the reconstructed particle images. An example of how these methods are used together to measure the instantaneous flow fields within a motored Diesel engine is then described.

Holographic Particle Image Velocimetry and its Application in Engine Development

This paper reports on a new holographic particle image velocimetry configuration and analysis procedure that can be used to measure particle displacement through thick distorting windows The technique builds upon the scanning fibre probe based object conjugate reconstruction geometry; however it avoids the requirement of using a holographic optical element to correct for window distortion of the beams Removal of the distortion is instead accomplished by using a ray trace mapping between the wave vectors scattered by the particles at the time of each exposure and those measured by the interrogation system The technique is ideally suited to the study of flow structure within the combustion chamber of a diesel engine, and preliminary experimental results that attempt to assess the accuracy of the technique in this situation are presented

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0957-0233/15/4/004/pdf

Robin D. Alcock

Papers

Detection of printing and coating media

A compact, high numerical aperture imaging Fourier transform spectrometer and its application

Optical imaging of shock waves produced by a high-energy electromagnetic transducer.

Holographic Particle Image Velocimetry and its Application in Engine Development

An enhanced HPIV configuration for flow measurement through thick distorting windows