Publication | Open Access
Sound Scattering from a Fluid Sphere
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1950
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Acoustic MethodsAeroacousticsScattered WaveOutdoor Sound PropagationEngineeringPhysicsFluid SphereSpherical Fluid ObstacleFluid MechanicsPhysical AcousticWave ScatteringRigid SphereAtmospheric AcousticAcoustic PropagationSound PropagationUltrasound
Sound scattering from a fluid sphere comparable in size to the wavelength is studied, with dissipation neglected and Rayleigh and rigid‑sphere limits provided for comparison. For fluid spheres whose sound velocities and densities lie between 0.5 and 2.0 times those of the surrounding medium, scattering varies strongly with frequency, showing pronounced maxima and minima, and backward scattering can exceed twice that of a rigid sphere when the velocity is 0.8 and the density matches the medium.
The scattering of sound from a spherical fluid obstacle of size comparable to a wave-length is considered, neglecting dissipation. Calculations of the acoustic pressure and the total energy in the scattered wave are presented graphically; sound velocities and densities of the sphere lie between 0.5 and 2.0 times that of the external medium. The limiting cases of Rayleigh scattering and scattering from a fixed rigid sphere are also shown for comparison. In the region where the diameter of the sphere is comparable to a wave-length, the scattering is a complicated function of frequency, showing in some cases large maxima and minima. The amplitude of the scattered wave in the backward direction from a fluid sphere a few wave-lengths in diameter exceeds twice that from a rigid sphere of the same size for the case of the sound velocity 0.8 and density equal to that of the surrounding medium.