Sonic booms

SONIC BOOMS are explosive sounds that occur without warning. Sometimes annoying because of their startle effects and their ability to shake buildings, these sounds pose a unique problem for the orderly development of high-speed air transport. Although booms from military aircraft are widely observed around the world, the real concern is for proposed commercial airtransport operations that will cause repeated booms over very large areas. What are the effects of sonic booms and what steps can be taken to minimize the exposure to a suitable level?