Three-dimensional reconstruction of sound fields based on the acousto-optic effect.

The acousto-optic effect can be used to measure the pressure fluctuations in air created by acoustic disturbances (the propagation of light is affected by changes in the medium due to the presence of sound waves). This makes it possible to measure an arbitrary sound field using acousto-optic tomography via scanning the field with a laser Doppler vibrometer. Consequently, the spatial characteristics of the sound field are captured in the measurement, implicitly bearing the potential for a full holographic reconstruction in a three-dimensional space. Recent studies have examined the reconstruction of sound pressure fields from acousto-optic measurements in the audible frequency range, based on Fourier transforms and elementary wave expansion methods. The present study examines the complete reconstruction of the sound field from acousto-optic measurements, recovering all acoustic quantities, and compares the results to the ones obtained from conventional microphone array measurements.