Localization of random acoustic sources in an inhomogeneous medium

International audienceIn this paper, the localization of a random sound source via different source localization methods is considered, the emphasis being put on the robustness and the accuracy of classical methods in the presence of uncertainties. The sound source position is described by a random variable and the sound propagation medium is assumed to have spatially varying parameters with known values. Two approaches are used for the source identification: time reversal and beamforming. The probability density functions of the random source position are estimated using both methods. The focal spot resolutions of the time reversal estimates are also evaluated. In the numerical simulations, two media with different correlation lengths are investigated to account for two different scattering regimes: one has a correlation length relatively larger than the wavelength and the other has a correlation length comparable to the wavelength. The results show that the required sound propagation time and source estimation robustness highly depend on the ratio between the correlation length and the wavelength. It is observed that source identification methods have different robustness in the presence of uncertainties. Advantages and weaknesses of each method are discussed