Single-mode excitation in the shallow-water acoustic channel using feedback control

The shallow-water acoustic channel supports far-field propagation in a discrete set of modes. Ocean experiments have confirmed the modal nature of acoustic propagation, but no experiment has successfully excited only one of the suite of mid-frequency trapped modes propagating in a coastal environment. The ability to excite a single mode would be a powerful tool for investigating shallow-water ocean processes. A feedback control algorithm incorporating elements of adaptive estimation, underwater acoustics, array processing, and control theory to generate a high-fidelity single mode is presented. This approach also yields a cohesive framework for evaluating the feasibility of generating a single mode with given array geometries, noise characteristics, and source power limitations. Simulations and laboratory wave guide experiments indicate the proposed algorithm holds promise for ocean experiments