Ultrasonics
Research
Laboratory

We study the properties of waves in complex materials where the waves are scattered many times before leaving the medium. Wave phenomena in these systems can be radically different to those normally associated with waves, and are attracting growing interest. We use innovative ultrasonic techniques, developed in our laboratory, to study these wave phenomena for acoustic and elastic waves. Our goals are both to discover and understand novel aspects of wave propagation in strongly scattering media, and to use our knowledge of wave scattering to develop new experimental probes of the structure and dynamics of strongly scattering materials.

We also use our ultrasonic techniques to study a wide range of mesoscopic materials, whose physical properties are determined by internal structures on length scales intermediate between atomic dimensions and bulk. Some examples include fluidized suspensions, phononic crystals, porous materials, and biological materials of importance in food science (see our current research page or read our publications).

We welcome students and postdocs who are interested in joining our group. We offer excellent support and training; over the last few years, this has helped several of our students to win prestigious national awards. Our students also benefit from collaborations with outstanding scientists at other institutions, including leading universities in the USA, Europe and Asia. Our graduates are well qualified for jobs in industry, national labs and universities.

We also welcome visiting scientists and students from other research groups, both at universities and industry, who would like to make use of our facilities and expertise in ultrasonics. We encourage anyone with an interest in our research program to contact us.

 Dynamic Speckle Pattern

When ultrasonic waves travel through a strongly scattering, random medium, they interfere to form a speckle pattern in which the intensity fluctuates across the output face of the sample. This animation shows how the pattern evolves in time during a pulsed experiment, as the pulse travels longer and longer multiple scattering paths through the sample. Click on the picture for more.