A beam summation algorithm for wave radiation and guidance in stratified media

Area of Science:

• Wave propagation modeling
• Computational physics
• Geophysics

Background:

• Accurate modeling of wave fields is crucial in various scientific domains.
• Plane stratified media present challenges due to multipath propagation and caustics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel Gaussian beams summation (GBS) algorithm for wave field tracking.
• To ensure numerical efficacy and accuracy in layered media simulations.

Main Methods:

• Developed a GBS algorithm for plane stratified media with constant gradient wave speed layers.
• Calculated Gaussian beam propagators recursively in closed form.
• Optimized expansion parameters for sparse representation of angular spectrum.

Main Results:

• The algorithm provides smooth and physically meaningful solutions.
• Successfully handles multipath propagation and caustic conditions.
• Maintains accuracy over long propagation ranges, mitigating phase error accumulation.

Conclusions:

• The GBS algorithm is an effective tool for simulating wave propagation in complex layered media.
• Demonstrates robustness and accuracy in challenging wave scenarios.