Acoustic wave motion in the human pinna plays an important role for sound reception, especially in terms of directional hearing. This study proposes to examine in detail the role which individual components of the human pinna play in the sound reception and in the directional response of the pinna up to 20 kHz. Experimental and analytical studies are proposed which model the pinna as a combination of collectors, reflectors, and diffractors to form an open resonator of sorts. The analysis and experiments will include a study of the effects that linear relative displacements and rotations as well as random distortions of the components have on the response and directivity of the pinna. Effects on the acoustic wave motion in the pinna due to frequency and spatial dispersion of the wave on the head surface will also be considered. The proposed research is expected to lead to a better understanding of the acoustic properties of the pinna, physical data which correlates with psychoacoustical studies in localization, and to a mathematically tractable model-pinna composed of passive or active components.
