Ground effects in time‐domain simulations of outdoor sound propagation.
Finite‐difference, time‐domain (FDTD) methods are precise and powerful tools to solve linearized Euler equations. Interaction between the acoustic waves with local wind or temperature gradients as well as a complex topography can be taken into account. Recently, a time‐domain boundary condition has been proposed [Cotte et al., AIAA J. 47, 2391–2403 (2009)] and has been implemented in a FDTD solver using methods developed in the computational aeroacoustics community [Bogey and Bailly, J. Comput. Phys. 194, 194–214 (2004)]. Propagation of an initial pulse over a distance of 500 m in a two‐dimensional geometry is considered in a frequency band up to 1200 Hz. Surface waves which propagate close to and parallel to impedance grounds are exhibited. To validate the obtained results, a comparison is made in the time‐domain with an analytical solution. Ground effects are discussed depending on the impedance of the ground. [This work was performed using HPC resources from GENCI‐IDRIS (Grant 2009‐022203).]
Observations of acoustic surface waves in outdoor sound propagation.
Acoustic surface waves have been detected propagating outdoors under natural conditions. Two critical experimental conditions were employed to ensure the conclusive detection of these waves. First, acoustic pulses rather than a continuous wave source allowed an examination of the waveform shape and avoided the masking of wave arrivals. Second, a snow cover provided favorable ground impedance conditions for surface waves to exist. The acoustic pulses were generated by blank pistol shots fired 1 m above the snow. The resultant waveforms were measured using a vertical array of six microphones located 60 m away from the source at heights between 0.1 and 4.75 m. A strong, low frequency "tail" following the initial arrival was recorded near the snow surface. This tail, and its exponential decay with height (z) above the surface (approximately e(-alpha z)), are diagnostic features of surface waves. The measured attenuation coefficient alpha was 0.28 m(-1). The identification of the surface wave is confirmed by comparing the measured waveforms with waveforms predicted by the theoretical evaluation of the explicit surface wave pole term using residue theory.
The REX-ISOLDE project
The Radioactive Beam Experiment REX-ISOLDE [1–3] is a pilot experiment at ISOLDE (CERN) testing the new concept of post acceleration of radioactive ion beams by using charge breeding of the ions in a high charge state ion source and the efficient acceleration of the highly charged ions in a short LINAC using modern ion accelerator structures. In order to prepare the ions for the experiments singly charged radioactive ions from the on-line mass separator ISOLDE will be cooled and bunched in a Penning trap, charge bred in an electron beam ion source (EBIS) and finally accelerated in the LINAC. The LINAC consists of a radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator, which accelerates the ions up to 0.3 MeV/u, an interdigital H-type (IH) structure with a final energy between 1.1 and 1.2 MeV/u and three seven gap resonators, which allow the variation of the final energy. With an energy of the radioactive beams between 0.8 MeV/u and 2.2 MeV/u a wide range of experiments in the field of nuclear spectroscopy, astrophysics and solid state physics will be addressed by REX-ISOLDE.