Variation in Sonic Boom Metrics Due to Atmospheric Turbulence During CarpetDIEM III

The Carpet Determination In Entirety Measurement (CarpetDIEM) III campaign provided insights into the variability of sonic boom metrics due to atmospheric turbulence. ARray Instrumentation for Sonic Thump Observations in TurbuLEnce (ARISTOTLE) Jr., a 2D array consisting of 23 microphones, recorded 17 sonic booms during the measurement campaign. On average, the Perceived Level (PL) across the array had a range of 7.3 dB and a standard deviation of 1.7 dB. While high wind speeds coincided with the largest PL range, significant variability also occurred during lower wind conditions, suggesting ambient noise and atmospheric turbulence play a role in the variability of metrics. The data further indicated directional dependency in metric variability, affirming the necessity of a 2D measurement approach. Building on these results, a full-scale ARISTOTLE array, consisting of 61 microphones over an area of 1,000 ft x 1,000 ft (305 m x 305 m) is under development and will be used in a future low-boom measurement campaign. Ultimately, ARISTOTLE will support the characterization of signatures generated by the X-59 aircraft, enabling improved understanding of turbulence effects on sonic boom metrics.