The mathematics of scattering by unbounded, rough, inhomogeneous layers (Q883496)

The authors use variational methods to analyse a class of boundary value problems arising in scattering of time harmonic waves by a layer of spatially varying refractive index above an unbounded rough surface on which the field vanishes. The well-posedness of the associated variational problems is obtained for the case where the frequency is small enough and for the case where the medium in the layer has some energy absorption. The mathematical formulation of the class of problems is described by (i) an inhomogeneous Helmholtz equation \[ \Delta u + k^2 u = g \quad \text{in} \quad D \] with space-dependent wave number \(k\in L^\infty(D)\) in a perturbed half-space \(D\subset {\mathbb R}^n\), \(n=2,3\), such that \(k = k^+ > 0\) in a half-space contained in \(D\), (ii) the homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition on \(\partial D\), and (iii) a radiation condition. The data \(g\in L^2(D)\) is assumed to have support lying within a finite distance of \(\partial D\). The main techniques of the paper consist of: (a) an appropriate variational approach within a framework of certain non-weighted Hilbert spaces (based on the standard \(H^1_0(D)\) Sobolev space) which in the above mentioned two cases leads to elliptic sesquilinear forms (making therefore possible to use the Lax--Milgram lemma); (b)~the consideration of certain weighted spaces in which the ellipticity of a corresponding form is also obtained. The paper generalizes the previous work of the first two authors published in [SIAM J. Math. Anal. 37, 598--618 (2005; Zbl 1127.35030)].