Can One Hear the Shape of a Room

This lecture explores the propagation of sound in rooms, focusing on the reflection and absorption of sound waves by walls, leading to the creation of echoes and virtual sources. It also delves into the concept of room impulse responses, their characteristics, and how they can be used to recreate the acoustic impression of different spaces, such as a conference room and a cathedral. The lecture discusses the challenges of measuring room impulse responses and presents experiments conducted to reconstruct the shape of a room from recorded impulse responses, showcasing successful results in a conference room and the Lausanne Cathedral.