If could turn back time reversal communications

This presentation will provide an overview of Bill Kuperman's groundbreaking research in acoustic communications, specifically his work on Time Reversal (TR), a notable chapter in his distinguished career of achievements. TR backpropagates a signal to its origin, despite the complexity of the propagation channel. A pioneering at-sea experiment was conducted to measure the focus of a 3.5-kHz centered time-reversal mirror (TRM), which not only demonstrated the feasibility of the concept but also introduced a novel methodology for generating binary-phase shift keying communication sequences using a TRM. A comparative analysis of the results reveals that time reversal is a highly effective approach for mitigating inter-symbol interference caused by channel multipath. Furthermore, the presentation will explore the advantages of cascading the TR process with adaptive channel equalization, a combination that eliminates the need for spatial diversity in the receiver structure. Bill's remarkable body of research will be celebrated through personal anecdotes and stories of his mentorship, friendship, and signature humor, offering a unique glimpse into the man behind the science. [Work supported by ONR.]