One-dimensional wave propagation in a highly discontinuous medium (Q581031)

A pulse propagates through a one-dimensional medium consisting of a large number N of homogeneous layers. As it propagates the pulse, which consists of multiply scattered energy, is broadened and slightly delayed compared with the first arrival, which travels at the characteristic speed. \textit{R. F. O'Doherty} and \textit{N. A. Anstey} first studied this phenomenon [in Geophys. Prosp. 19, 430-458 (1971)] and gave an incomplete theory predicting the pulse shape and spectrum essentially by summing a diagram. We corroborate their results with a rigorous theory giving the limiting pulse shape as \(N\to \infty\) while the reflection coefficients go to zero like 1/\(\sqrt{N}\). Since O'Doherty and Anstey's work several authors, including ourselves [e.g.: Lect. Notes Math. 1186, 265-270 (1986; Zbl 0588.73002) and SIAM J. Appl. Math. 47, 146-168 (1987)], have written on the subject and illustrated the phenomenon with numerical simulations. The present work is novel in that: (a) a rigorous theory is given, (b) the development is in the time domain, and (c) probabilistic concepts, such as ensemble averages, are not used; spatial averages suffice.