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arXiv · 2602.15442

Virtual ultrasound machine operating in a GHz to MHz frequency range for particle-based biomedical simulations

Urban Čoko·Tilen Potisk·Matej Praprotnik
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Abstract

Ultrasound-matter interactions underpin numerous biomedical and soft-matter applications, yet simulating these phenomena is challenging due to the large separation of viscous and sonic time scales. Continuum methods capture large-scale wave propagation but cannot resolve microscale interactions, while particle-based approaches offer molecular resolution but struggle with efficiency and stability at larger scales. We introduce a particle-based virtual ultrasound machine that uses a novel smoothed dissipative particle dynamics variant with an implicit pressure solver and a negative-pressure stabilization scheme, required to mimic acoustic propagation across MHz-GHz frequencies. We demonstrate its capabilities by modeling the acoustophoresis of encapsulated microbubbles, a key mechanism in ultrasound-mediated drug delivery. Beyond this application, the approach establishes a generalizable platform for simulating wave-matter interactions in soft and biological materials, opening new directions for computational studies of acoustics-driven phenomena in science and engineering.

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Urban Čoko, Tilen Potisk, Matej Praprotnik. 2026-02-17. Virtual ultrasound machine operating in a GHz to MHz frequency range for particle-based biomedical simulations. https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.15442

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