A synthetic aperture imaging system using surface wave modes

A synthetic aperture acoustic imaging system with a novel inversion algorithm is described. Data is obtained by using a transducer insonifying the sample surface at a critical angle which is excited by a short electrical pulse. The critical angle is chosen for a suitable surface wave or Lamb wave mode that exists on the object. The transducer is mechanically scanned in only one direction during which many pulse excitations and subsequent recordings are realized. The received signal is sampled in time and digitized to be processed by using the new inversion approach providing an optimal 2-D image of the surface reflectivity.