Methods and systems for non-invasively characterizing a heterogeneous medium using ultrasound

Abstract

In a first aspect, the present description relates to a system for non-invasively characterizing a heterogeneous medium using ultrasound, comprising at least one first array () of transducers configured to generate a series of incident ultrasound waves in a region of said heterogeneous medium and record the ultrasound waves which are backscattered by said region as a function of time, as well as a computing unit () which is coupled to said at least one first array of transducers and configured to: record an experimental reflection matrix defined between an emission basis at the input and the basis of the transducers at the output; determine, from said experimental reflection matrix, at least one first wideband reflection matrix defined in a focused base at the input and output; determine a first distortion matrix defined between said focused basis and an observation basis, said first distortion matrix resulting, directly or after a change of basis, from the term-by-term matrix product of said first wideband reflection matrix defined between said focused basis and an aberration correction basis, with the phase-conjugated matrix of a reference reflection matrix defined for a model medium, between the same bases; determine, from said first distortion matrix, at least one mapping of a physical parameter of said heterogeneous medium.