Immersive experimentation in a wave propagation laboratory

A wave propagation laboratory is proposed which enables the study of the interaction of broadband signals with complex materials. A physical experiment is dynamically linked to a numerical simulation in real time through transmitting and recording transducer surfaces surrounding the target. The numerical simulation represents an arbitrarily larger domain, allowing experiments to be performed in a total environment much greater than the laboratory experiment itself. Specific applications include the study of non-linear effects or wave propagation in media where the physics of wave propagation is not well understood such as the effect of fine scale heterogeneity on broadband propagating waves. (C) 2013 Acoustical Society of America