Multi-bubble scattering acoustic fields in viscoelastic tissues under dual-frequency ultrasound

Abstract

Bubbles are widely used in the medical field due to their strong acoustic scattering properties, and the interaction between bubbles affects the scattering acoustic field caused by the bubble cluster. In this study, the dynamic equations of bubbles oscillating in viscoelastic tissues are solved numerically. The effect of bubble interaction on the scattered acoustic pressure under dual-frequency ultrasound is analyzed. In addition, the frequency spectra of the scattered acoustic waves due to the bubbles with and without considering the interaction are compared. The results show that the suppression or enlargement of the scattered sound pressure caused by the interaction between bubbles is related to the bubble radius and the incident frequency. Moreover, when the incident frequency is equal to the resonant frequency of the bubble with equilibrium radius R0, the effect of resonant bubbles is stronger than that of non-resonant bubbles. Meanwhile, for the multi-bubble system with a small bubble number density, the total response of the bubble cluster can be approximated as an algebraic sum of the dynamical behavior of individual bubbles.

Keywords

• Acoustic scattering
• Viscoelastic tissues
• Multi-bubble
• Dual-frequency ultrasound