title: Weak reflection of ultrasound by elements arranged in the steps of a one-dimensional random walk, with reference to backscatter by blood.
abstract: Blood backscatters ultrasound primarily because the erythrocytes (red blood corpuscles) have a specific acoustic impedance slightly different from that of the surrounding plasma. In an attempt to explain some of the main results concerning such scatter, a one-dimensional model is set up and analysed. The results computed from it are in qualitative agreement with, and contribute a partial explanation of, the variation of reflection coefficient with erythrocyte concentration and the noise in the backscattered signal.
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Routh
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gough
mesh_terms: D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D014465:Ultrasonics