  We describe here an experimental technique based on the acoustic scattering
phenomenon allowing the direct probing of the vorticity field in a turbulent
flow. Using time-frequency distributions, recently introduced in signal
analysis theory, for the analysis of the scattered acoustic signals, we show
how the legibility of these signals is significantly improved (time resolved
spectroscopy). The method is illustrated on data extracted from a highly
turbulent jet flow : discrete vorticity events are clearly evidenced. We claim
that the recourse to time-frequency distributions lead to an operational
definition of coherent structures associated with phase stationarity in the
time-frequency plane.
