On Cuba, diplomats, ultrasound, and intermodulation distortion. (January 2019)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- On Cuba, diplomats, ultrasound, and intermodulation distortion. (January 2019)
- Main Title:
- On Cuba, diplomats, ultrasound, and intermodulation distortion
- Authors:
- Yan, Chen
Fu, Kevin
Xu, Wenyuan - Abstract:
- Abstract: This paper analyzes how ultrasounds could have unintentionally led to the AP news recordings of metallic sounds heard by diplomats in Cuba. Beginning with screen shots of the acoustic spectral plots from the AP news, we reverse engineered ultrasonic signals that could lead to those outcomes as a result of intermodulation distortion with non-linearity in the acoustic transmission medium. We created a proof of concept ultrasonic device that amplitude modulates a signal over an inaudible ultrasonic carrier. When a second inaudible ultrasonic source interfered with the primary source, intermodulation distortion created audible byproducts that share spectral characteristics with audio from the AP news. Our conclusion is that if ultrasound played a role in harming diplomats in Cuba, then a plausible cause is intermodulation distortion between ultrasonic signals that unintentionally synthesize audible tones. In other words, acoustic interference without malicious intent to cause harm could have led to the audible sensations in Cuba. Highlights: We show how ultrasounds and intermodulation distortion could explain the reported symptoms and the audio recording in Cuba. We theoretically discussed the mechanism of generating a spectral plot similar to the one from the AP news via simulation. We experimentally validated that ultrasounds from multiple parties could have collided to produce audible byproducts.
- Is Part Of:
- Computers in biology and medicine. Volume 104(2019)
- Journal:
- Computers in biology and medicine
- Issue:
- Volume 104(2019)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 104, Issue 2019 (2019)
- Year:
- 2019
- Volume:
- 104
- Issue:
- 2019
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2019-0104-2019-0000
- Page Start:
- 250
- Page End:
- 266
- Publication Date:
- 2019-01
- Subjects:
- acoustic -- Ultrasound -- Intermodulation
Medicine -- Data processing -- Periodicals
Biology -- Data processing -- Periodicals
610.285 - Journal URLs:
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00104825/ ↗
http://www.elsevier.com/journals ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2018.11.012 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 0010-4825
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - 3394.880000
British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store - Ingest File:
- 9277.xml