Public defence in Acoustics and Audio Signal Processing, M.Sc. Vasileios Bountourakis

The title of the thesis: Spatial audio signal processing for passive-sonar applications

Thesis defender: Vasileios Bountourakis
Opponent: Dr. Philippe Blondel, University of Bath, UK
Custos: Prof. Ville Pulkki, Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Information and Communications Engineering 

This research focused on the development and evaluation of advanced techniques for passive sonar applications utilising hydrophone arrays. By adapting and innovating established microphone array techniques from spatial audio, the study aimed to enhance traditional methods for underwater soundfield visualisation and target localisation. This work is highly relevant to ongoing developments in underwater surveillance and submarine operations. 

The novel techniques introduced in this work demonstrated improvements over traditional methods, particularly in bearing estimation accuracy, side-lobe suppression, and separation of closely spaced targets. Additionally, most of the proposed methods showed reduced computational complexity and greater robustness to noise and interference. In conclusion, the study found that these techniques offer substantial improvements over existing passive sonar methods, paving the way for more accurate and efficient underwater localisation and target tracking systems. This research contributes valuable new knowledge that enhances both the theoretical and practical aspects of underwater acoustics.

Thesis available for public display 10 days prior to the defence at: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/doc_public/eonly/riiputus/

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Doctoral theses in the School of Electrical Engineering: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/53