The concept of a single-beam acoustical tweezer device which can simultaneously trap microparticles at different points is proposed and demonstrated through computational simulations. The device employs an ultrasound beam produced by a circular focused transducer operating at 1 MHz in water medium. The ultrasound beam exerts a radiation force that may tweeze suspended microparticles in the medium. Simulations show that the acoustical tweezer can simultaneously trap microparticles in the pre-focal zone along the beam axis, i.e. between the transducer surface and its geometric focus. As acoustical tweezers are fast becoming a key instrument in microparticle handling, the development of acoustic multitrapping concept may turn into a useful tool in engineering these devices.
In this paper, the translational addition theorem for spherical functions is employed to calculate the acoustic radiation force produced by an arbitrary shaped beam on a sphere arbitrarily suspended in an inviscid fluid. The procedure is also based on the partial-wave expansion method, which depends on the beam-shape and scattering coefficients. Given a set of beam-shape coefficients (BSCs) for an acoustic beam relative to a reference frame, the translational addition theorem can be used to obtain the BSCs relative to the sphere positioned anywhere in the medium. The scattering coefficients are obtained from the acoustic boundary conditions across the sphere's surface. The method based on the addition theorem is particularly useful to avoid quadrature schemes to obtain the BSCs. We use it to compute the acoustic radiation force exerted by a spherically focused beam (in the paraxial approximation) on a silicone-oil droplet (compressible fluid sphere). The analysis is carried out in the Rayleigh (i.e., the particle diameter is much smaller than the wavelength) and Mie (i.e., the particle diameter is of the order of the wavelength or larger) scattering regimes. The obtained results show that the paraxial focused beam can only trap particles in the Rayleigh scattering regime.
This work presents a pressure transducer based on a magnetic sensor to measure acoustic radiation force (ARF) and small displacements. The methodology presented in this paper allowed this transducer to be calibrated for use as an acoustic pressure and intensity meter. It can control the acoustic intensity emitted by ultrasound used, for example, in ARF impulse imaging, vibro-acoustography and high-intensity focused ultrasound techniques. The device comprises a magnet, a membrane, a magnetoresistive sensor and a coil to cancel the external magnetic field. When ARF is applied to the membrane, the magnetic field on the sensor changes due to the magnetic target displacement. The variation of the output signal from the magnetic transducer is proportional to the acoustic pressure applied to the membrane. A focused ultrasound transducer with a central frequency of 3 MHz was used to apply a continuous ARF. The sensitivities of the magnetic transducer as an acoustic pressure and intensity meter, evaluated in water, were respectively 0.597 µV MPa−1 and 0.073 µV (W cm−2)−1/2, while those of the needle hydrophone (Onda model HNP-0400) used in the magnetic transducer calibration were respectively, 0.5024 mV MPa−1 and 6.153 mV (W cm−2)−1/2. The transducer resolution to displacement is 5 nm and 6 dB of signal attenuation occurs for 7° of misalignment. The transducer responded well to acoustic pressure in water above 200 kPa.
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