Signal Processing for Intelligent Sensor Systems with MATLAB®, 2nd Edition

8    Wavenumber Transforms

The wavenumber k is physically the radian frequency divided by wave speed (ω/c), giving it dimensions of radians/m. Wavenumbers can be seen as a measure of wavelength relative to 2π. Actually, k also equals 2π/λ and can be decomposed into k_x, k_y, and k_z components to describe the wave for 3D spaces. The wavenumber k is the central parameter of spatial signal processing which is widely used in radar, sonar, astronomy, and in digital medical imaging [1]. Just as the phase response in the frequency domain relates to time delay in the time domain, the phase response in the wave- number domain relates to the spatial position of the waves. The wavenumber transform is a Fourier transform, where time is replaced by space. ...