An investigation on source distribution characteristics obtained with the equivalent sources method

Although the equivalent sources method is frequently used to solve acoustics radiation and scattering problems, very few investigations focus on the behavior of source distributions obtained as solutions, as well as on the general properties and restrictions these solutions must fulfill. In spite of the fact that the equivalent sources are highly dependent on the direction of the incident wave, for the rigid body scattering problem, the combined use of three different source distributions, satisfying the relevant energy requirements, may provide a satisfactory source system. The advantages of using such a system are investigated using three‐dimensional numerical experiments, both for monopole configurations and for an expansion in spherical harmonics. Procedures for choosing between these two types of equivalent sources for a general problem are discussed. Characteristics of the source distributions found, using two particular variants of the equivalent sources method—one using a ‘‘least square minimizati...