Paper detail

Passive underwater acoustic barcodes using Rayleigh wave resonance

A passive underwater acoustic marker is presented and its feasibility for underwater recognition, positioning, and navigation is proved by a numerical method and experimental results. These markers are composed of acrylic elastic objects designed by backscattering strong peaks associated with the subsonic Rayleigh wave resonance of a polymer target excited by a broadband pulse, and having a unique acoustic signature for a selected frequency band, akin to acoustic barcodes. Therefore, the backscattering response of markers can be regulated by changing the geometry of elastic objects. These acoustic barcodes naturally operate in a wider frequency band, and have a longer lifetime and lower cost, compared with active acoustic markers.