The moving source phantom in geometric optics of inhomogeneous media (Q2387964)

This paper deals with the centre of curvature motion phenomenon for a wave front propagating in an inhomogeneous medium. Fronts are described by the eikonal equation, and rays which are an orthogonal family of curves (to the wave fronts) are described by a system of ordinary differential equations. The moving front can be obtained as the shift of the initial surface along the trajectories of this system. For a two-dimensional case in which the front is a curve, the velocity of the centre of the curvature along the rays is determined. It is represented as the sum of longitudinal and transverse components; the longitudinal component determines the motion of the centre, of the curvature along the rays owing to the deformation of the front itself. The three-dimensional case is shown to have some additional specific features. It is a well written paper, and the reviewer feels that it should be of general interest to the mathematics community.