Observation of shape-preserving accelerating underwater acoustic beams

We present the experimental generation and observation of an underwater acoustic accelerating beam. The beam was generated by phase modulating a single projector using a tailored acoustic phase mask. The beam is propagating for a range in excess of 800 wavelengths, which are about six Rayleigh lengths, while preserving its shape and transversely accelerating. Such beams have promising applications in the fields of sonar, hydrography, and medical ultrasound and can provide new means to study nonlinear interaction of acoustic beams.