Lorentz-force hydrophone characterization

Abstract

A Lorentz-force hydrophone consists of a thin wire placed inside a magnetic field. When under the influence of an ultrasound pulse, the wire vibrates and an electrical signal is induced by the Lorentz force, which is proportional to the pulse amplitude. In this study, a compact prototype of such a hydrophone is introduced and characterized, and the previously developed hydrodynamic model is refined. It is shown that the wire tension has a negligible effect on the measurement of pressure. The frequency response of the hydrophone reaches 1 MHz for wires with diameters between 70 and 400 μm. The hydrophone exhibits a directional response such that the signal amplitude differs by less than 3 dB as the angle of the incident ultrasound pulse varies from -20° and +20°. The linearity of the measured signal is confirmed across the 50 kPa to 10 MPa pressure range, and an excellent resistance to cavitation is observed. This hydrophone is of interest for high-pressure ultrasound measurements including high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and ultrasonic measurements in difficult environments.