A boundary integral equation‐discrete wavenumber representation method to study wave propagation in multilayered media having irregular interfaces

Abstract

We present a method which combines boundary‐integral equation techniques with the discrete wavenumber Green’s function representation to study wave propagation in multilayered media having irregular interfaces. The approach is based on the representation of the interfaces by distributions of body forces, the radiation from which is equivalent to the scattered wave field produced by the diffracting boundaries. The Green’s functions are evaluated by the discrete wavenumber method. Propagator matrices are introduced to relate force distributions on neighboring interfaces. The solution then requires the inversion of a matrix at each interface. The dimensions of the linear system are independent of the number of layers considered, and the computation time varies linearly with the number of interfaces. We apply the method to calculate surface and vertical seismic profiles in the presence of synclinal or anticlinal structures.