title: The mechanisms of subharmonic tone generation in a synthetic larynx model.
abstract: The sound spectra obtained in a synthetic larynx exhibited subharmonic tones that are characteristic for diplophonia. Although the generation of subharmonics is commonly associated with asymmetrically oscillating vocal folds, the synthetic elastic vocal folds showed symmetrical oscillations. The amplitudes of the subharmonics decreased with an increasing lateral diameter of the supraglottal channel, which indicates a strong dependence of the supraglottal boundary conditions. Investigations of the supraglottal flow field revealed small cycle-to-cycle variations of the static pressure in the region of the pulsatile glottal jet as the origin of the first subharmonic tone. It is located at half the fundamental frequency of the vocal fold oscillation. A principle component analysis of the supraglottal flow field with the fully developed glottal jet revealed a large recirculation area in the second spatial eigenvector which deflected the glottal jet slightly in a perpendicular direction of the jet axis. The rotation direction of the recirculation area changed with different oscillation cycles between clockwise and counterclockwise. As both directions were uniformly distributed across all acquired oscillation cycles, a cycle-wise change can be assumed. It is concluded that acoustic subharmonics are generated by small fluctuations of the glottal jet location favored by small lateral diameters of the supraglottal channel.
authors.affiliation: Division of Phoniatrics and Pediatric Audiology at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen, Medical School at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bohlenplatz 21, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kniesburges
authors.affiliation: Department of Process Machinery and Systems Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 7, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lodermeyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Process Machinery and Systems Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 7, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen, Medical School at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Waldstrasse 1, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Maximilian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Traxdorf
authors.affiliation: Division of Phoniatrics and Pediatric Audiology at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen, Medical School at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bohlenplatz 21, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Döllinger
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004548:Elasticity; D006801:Humans; D007830:Larynx / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D010699:Phonation; D012826:Silicone Elastomers; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D014831:Voice
chemical_list: D012826:Silicone Elastomers