Parker Medical Imaging Research

A manuscript co-authored by Dr. P. Ted Christopher and Professor Kevin Parker titled "The nonlinear ultrasound needle pulse" was published online by the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, and can be found here.  The work presented compared a focused 3 MHz broadband Gaussian beam against a corresponding needle pulse field by utilizing the output of a nonlinear propagation model.  The results suggest that the unique convergence of the needle pulse to a narrow but extended axial line in linear propagation is also inherited by higher harmonics in nonlinear propagation.  Further, the linear needle field's relatively short duration focal pulses also hold for the associated higher harmonics.  The needle pulse's focal features may prove to be useful in some future applications where an extended depth of field and narrow beam width are advantageous.