Acoustical imaging has become an indispensable tool in a variety of fields. Since its introduction, the applications have grown and cover a variety of techniques, producing significant results in fields as disparate as medicine and seismology. Cutting-edge trends continue to be discussed worldwide.

This book contains the proceedings of the 27th International Symposium on Acoustical Imaging (Ai27), which took place in Saarbrücken, Germany, from March 24th to March 27th 2003. The Symposium belongs to a conference series in existence since 1968. Ai27 comprised sessions on: Medical Imaging, Non-Destructive Testing, Seismic Imaging, Physics and Mathematics of Acoustical Imaging, Acoustic Microscopy.

During two well-attended workshops the applications of quantitative acoustical imaging in biology and medical applications, and in near-field imaging of materials, were discussed. Based on its cross-disciplinary aspects, the authors of the papers of Ai27 present experiments, theory and construction of new instruments.