Optimization of apodizations based on the sidelobe pressure energy in simulated ultrasound fields

High sidelobe levels of ultrasound beams can generally be reduced by apodizing the sound emitting aperture. The integrated sidelobe energy could be a criterion for the optimization of such an apodization. Thus, we developed an algorithm, which generates an apodization that minimizes the sidelobe energy for a given width of the ultrasound beam. The performance of the algorithm was evaluated on simulated ultrasound fields.