Whereas the ray-centred coordinates for isotropic media by Popov & Psencik are uniquely defined by the selection of the basis vectors at one point along the ray, there is considerable freedom in selecting the ray-centred coordinates for anisotropic media. We describe the properties common to all ray-centred coordinate systems for anisotropic media and general conditions, which may be imposed on the basis vectors. We then discuss six different particular choices of ray-centred coordinates in an anisotropic medium. This overview may be useful in choosing the ray-centred coordinates best suited for a particular application. The equations are derived for a general homogeneous Hamiltonian of an arbitrary degree and are thus applicable both to the anisotropic-ray-theory rays and anisotropic common S-wave rays.
Hamiltonian ray tracing, dynamic ray tracing, ray-centred coordinates, anisotropy, heterogeneous media.
The reprint is available in PDF (167 kB).
SW3D
- main page of consortium Seismic Waves in Complex 3-D Structures .