Abstract:
It has been demonstrated that the additional complexities associated with range and azimuthally dependent environments can be used to break the symmetries of the ambiguity functions of matched-field processors. Additional symmetry breaking can also be accomplished though the inclusion of more information in the form of better propagation models, increased environmental parametrization or broadband processors. In many shallow-water environments, a downward-refracting sound-speed profile and variable sedimentation suggest that acoustic propagation (and consequently matched-field processing) in these areas should be dominated by the acoustic characteristics of the bottom. This suggests that the propagation models used to generate replica fields should not only be range-dependent, but should also include the physics of acoustic propagation in the presence of elastic material (i.e., the ocean bottom). A broadband matched-field processor which utilizes the elastic parabolic equation as the replica generator has been implemented. The effectiveness of this new processor on real experimental data will be discussed.