A theoretical framework for acoustically produced luminescence: From thermometry to ultrasound pressure field mapping

Acoustically produced luminescence (APL) can be used for fast and easy mapping of ultrasound pressure fields, allowing quantitative investigation of these fields for a wide range of acoustic frequencies and pressures. APL offers a fast and inexpensive alternative for the conventional point-by-point hydrophone scanning. This can benefit industrial and medical ultrasound applications that experience stringent certification and safety requirements on pressure field characterization. APL was shown to originate from absorption-mediated heating by ultrasound irradiation of a membrane material, which consists of a polymer binder and a luminescent material (or phosphor). This heating induces local thermoluminescence emission, which is proportional to the ultrasound pressure. However, a precise framework describing the physics of the APL process, allowing the retrieval of acoustic field information from the measured light emission has been lacking. Here, we present a full theoretical model of the APL phenomenon, allowing the reconstruction of both the pressure and temperature fields from the measured luminescence. The developed theoretical model is verified using finite-element modeling and experimental validation. We then demonstrate how APL can be used to obtain a 3D reconstruction of an ultrasound pressure field, in a fast and easy way. Finally, the general model demonstrated here can also prove useful for other applications, e.g. in luminescence-based thermometry using persistent phosphors.

Automated summary

Acoustically produced luminescence (APL) can be used for fast and easy mapping of ultrasound pressure fields. This study presents a theoretical model that allows the reconstruction of pressure and temperature fields from measured luminescence. The model is verified through simulation and experiment, and the application of APL in 3D ultrasound pressure field reconstruction is demonstrated.