Sivian and White revisited: the role of resonant thermal noise pressure on the eardrum in auditory thresholds

TL;DR

This paper reevaluates how thermal noise pressure influences hearing thresholds, showing that direct calculations of resonant ear canal modes yield lower estimates than earlier approximations, refining our understanding of auditory sensitivity.

Contribution

It provides a revised analysis of thermal noise pressure on the eardrum, contrasting approximate and direct calculations to improve models of auditory thresholds.

Findings

Direct calculation yields lower thermal noise pressure than earlier estimates.

Resonant ear canal modes significantly influence thermal noise pressure.

Revised model refines understanding of the physical limits of hearing.

Abstract

The influence of thermal pressure fluctuations on the tympanic membrane has been re- examined as a possible contributing determinant of the threshold of human hearing over the range of audible frequencies. The early approximate calculation of Sivian and White [1] is shown to result in higher values of thermal noise pressure on the tympanium of a model meatus than the result obtained by directly calculating the noise pressure from thermally excited resonant ear canal modes.