Influence of boundary conditions on time-reversal focusing through heterogeneous media

This letter presents a way to overcome ultrasonic focusing degradations through strongly diffracting nondissipative layers. A first set of experiments shows that, using finite aperture transducer arrays, neither the time-reversal technique, nor other focusing techniques are able to achieve proper focusing through this kind of aberrator. These experimental results show the limits of a finite aperture time-reversal mirror compared to the theoretical behavior of a time-reversal cavity. To simulate a time-reversal cavity, totally reflecting walls are set between the time-reversal mirror and the aberrator. The experiments and numerical simulations presented in this letter show that as soon as we introduce these reflecting boundaries, the time-reversal focusing becomes optimal and the spatial resolution is strongly improved.