Echo-to-reverberation enhancement using a time reversal mirror

Reverberation from rough ocean boundaries often degrades the performance of active sonar systems in the ocean. The focusing capability of the time-reversal method provides a new approach to this problem. A time-reversal mirror (TRM) focuses acoustic energy on a target enhancing the target echo while shadowing the boundaries below and above the focus in a waveguide, thereby reducing reverberation. The resulting echo-to-reverberation enhancement has been demonstrated experimentally using a time-reversal mirror in the 3–4 kHz band in shallow water.