Energy-based acoustic quantities provide vital information about acoustic fields and the characterization of acoustic sources. Recently, the phase and amplitude gradient estimator (PAGE) method has been developed to reduce error and extend bandwidth of energy-based quantity estimates. To inform uses and applications of the method, analytical and experimental characterizations of the method are presented. Analytical PAGE method bias errors are compared with those of traditional estimation for two- and three-microphone one-dimensional probes. For a monopole field when phase unwrapping is possible, zero bias error is achieved for active intensity using three-microphone PAGE and for specific acoustic impedance using two-microphone PAGE. A method for higher-order estimation in reactive fields is developed, and it is shown that a higher-order traditional method outperforms higher-order PAGE for reactive intensity in a standing wave field. Extending the applications of PAGE, the unwrapped phase gradient is used to develop a method for directional sensing with improved bandwidth and arbitrary array response.

Phased microphone arrays are valuable tools for aeroacoustic measurements that can measure the directivity of multiple acoustic sources. However, when deployed in closed test-section wind tunnels, the acoustics suffer due to intense pressure fluctuations contained in the wall-bound turbulent boundary layer. Furthermore, phased microphone arrays require many sensors distributed over a large aperture to ensure good spatial resolution over a wide frequency range. Microphone arrays of such large count are not always feasible due to constraints in space and cost. This thesis describes an alternative approach for measuring single broadband acoustic sources that uses an acoustic metasurface. The metasurface is comprised of a meandering channel of quarter-wave cavities and an array of equally spaced half-wave open through-cavities. A series of tests were conducted in Virginia Tech's Anechoic Wall-Jet Tunnel where combinations of a wall-bound turbulent jet-flow and a single broadband acoustic source were used to excite the metasurface and produce acoustic surface waves. Measurements of the acoustic surface waves were performed using two methods: a pair of traversing microphones scanning the pressure field along the length of the metasurface 0.25 mm beneath its bottom face, and an array of unequally spaced microphones embedded inside the metasurface. Spectral analysis on the measurements revealed that the inclusion of multiple through-cavities leads to constructive reinforcement of select acoustic surface waves as a function of the acoustic source location. In the case of the embedded microphones, acoustic beamforming was applied in order to extract spatial information. This reinforcement was observed during measurements made with both flow and acoustic excitation, up to Wall-Jet Tunnel nozzle exit speeds of 40 m/s beyond which it was no longer seen. A series of quiescent measurements made with a range of speaker locations constituted a calibration for the metasurface which was used to locate an unknown broadband acoustic source within an The Root-Mean-Square (RMS) error of 1.06 degrees. / Master of Science / Phased microphone arrays are valuable tools for aeroacoustic measurements that can measure the directivity of multiple acoustic sources within a sound field. When used in conjunction with signal processing techniques, such as delay-and-sum beamforming, a researcher or engineer can obtain an intuitive view of the sound field and distinguish between multiple sources over a wide frequency range. However, these microphone arrays often utilize dozens of microphones which raises the array's complexity and cost. Furthermore, when a phased microphone array is mounted flush to the wall of a wind tunnel test section, it is submerged under a turbulent boundary layer which imposes intense pressure fluctuations on the microphones making it difficult to identify acoustic sources. Boundary layers form at the interface between a fluid and solid interface. This thesis describes experimentation performed in the Virginia Tech Anechoic Wall-Jet Tunnel on a new type of pressure sensing microphone array that leverage acoustic metamaterial technology. The acoustic metamaterial shields the microphones from the flow, lessening the influence of the turbulent boundary layer on the measurement. The focus in this thesis is on the novel array's ability to locate a single broadband acoustic source using as few as six microphones. The metasurface was installed in the Wall-Jet Tunnel test plate such that an array of evenly spaced through-cavities are flush to the surface. The through-cavities communicate the pressure field on top of the test surface to a meandering channel of interconnected closed cavities below. Near the resonant depth frequencies of the closed cavities, acoustic surface waves form which are evanescent pressure waves that are bound to the surface or structure that support them. The interference between the acoustic surface waves generated at each through-cavity leads to reinforced acoustic surface waves which are sensitive to the direction of a broadband source. In all, an acoustic metamaterial was tested under a variety of conditions such as: Wall-Jet Tunnel flow speed, speaker location, and the number of through-cavities open. The performance of the novel array and future plans are discussed.