How does ultrasound backscatter vary with angle of incidence?
This is an experimental project to explore the way in which ultrasound reflects from the surfaces of different materials. It will involve gathering data using a radio-frequency ultrasound machine and analysing it using Matlab/Octave. The goal is to compare the validity of a particular class of simple scattering models and evaluate the model parameters for common materials. A better understanding of ultrasound scattering behaviour at material interfaces is key to improved interpretation of ultrasonic images by both clinicians and machines. In particular it is necessary to enable information about a structure scanned from more than one direction to be combined. This project would suit someone with an interest in hands-on experimentation, computer graphics or signal processing. This graph shows the result of a preliminary experiment to measure how the backscatter from a rubber sheet varies with angle. The horizontal axis represents angle and the vertical axis represents the back-scattered
