Dynamic higher-order correction of acoustic aberration due to material microstructure

Abstract

Material microstructure, such as grains in metals, can perturb ultrasound as it propagates through—or on the surface of—the material. This acoustic aberration affects the accuracy and reliability of ultrasound measurements and is a fundamental limit to resolution for many materials. Using an all-optical approach to generation and detection of surface acoustic waves, we detect the acoustic wave front aberrations, and correct for them by calculating a different generation profile, which is imaged onto the material using a spatial light modulator.