Distortion of finite amplitude ultrasound in lossy media

Abstract

A form of Burgers'' equation is used to derive an algorithm for calculating harmonic generation by a continuous plane wave of ultrasound propagating in a nonlinear, lossy, nondispersive medium. The algorithm accounts for attenuation that is not quadratically related to the frequency of the wave. Attenuation strongly affects the rate of harmonic production. The effect of variations of the relationship between attenuation and frequency is shown . Biological tissue is an example of a highly lossy medium where the attenuation does not increase with the square of the frequency. Calculations for several types of tissue and biological fluids are presented that show, for certain conditions, finite amplitude distortion is possible.