Thermoacoustics, sonic gas analyzers, and more of Steven Garrett’s research at Penn State University

Steven Garrett joined The Graduate Program in Acoustics (GPA) at the Pennsylvania State University in 1995, as the United Technologies Professor of Acoustics, and Senior Scientist with the Applied Research Laboratory, and retired from Penn State in 2016. Drawn to many areas of applied acoustics over his 20 years, this talk will (of necessity, briefly!) summarize efforts in four broad research areas that occurred while at Penn State: (1) thermoacoustic refrigeration, continuing and expanding on efforts that had begun at the Naval Post Graduate School; (2) sonic gas analysis which in part arose from the need to track resonances in thermoacoustic refrigerators; (3) nuclear-powered thermoacoustic sensors; and (4) parametric stabilization and excitation efforts which were outgrowths of engineering questions that began with thermoacoustic refrigeration. In addition to many research contributions to Acoustics archived in JASA, these research efforts provide valuable education and training for many acoustical scientists and engineers.