A lattice Boltzmann approach for acoustic manipulation

Abstract

We employ a lattice Boltzmann method to compute the acoustic radiation force produced by standing waves on a compressible object. Instead of simulating the fluid mechanics equations directly, the proposed method uses a lattice Boltzmann model that reproduces the wave equation, together with a kernel interpolation scheme, to compute the first order perturbations of the pressure and velocity fields on the object's surface and, from them, the acoustic radiation force. The procedure reproduces with excellent accuracy the theoretical expressions by Gor'kov and Wei for the sphere and the disk, respectively, even with a modest number of lattice Boltzmann cells. The proposed method shows to be a promising tool for simulating phenomena where the acoustic radiation force plays a relevant role, like acoustic tweezers or the acoustic manipulation of microswimmers, with applications in medicine and engineering.

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