alin Next: Reflections and the high-frequency Up: Physics Previous: Physics Derivation of the acoustic wave equation The acoustic wave equation describes sound waves in a liquid or gas. Another more complicated set of equations describes clastic waves in solids. Begin with the acoustic case. Define = mass per unit volume of the fluid = velocity flow of fluid in the x-direction = velocity flow of fluid in the z-direction = pressure in the fluid yest ‘Newton's law of momentum conservation says that a small volume within a gas will accelerate if there is an. ‘The force arises from pressure differences at opposite sides of the small volume. Newton's law mas X acceleration = force = — pressure gradient oe oP 9 Pa = be ° au @P PR ae 9) The second physical process is energy storage by compression and volume change. If the velocity vector u at x + Ajexceeds that at x, then the flow is said to be diverging. In other words, the small volume between x andy 4 Ag is expanding, This expansion must lead to a pressure drop. The amount of the pressure drop is in proportion to a property of the fluid called its incompressibility K. In one dimension the equation is pressure drop = (incompressibilty) x (divergence of velocity) ay ek 2) a - * 35 ‘ In two dimensions it is To arrive at the one-dimensional wave equation from (9) and (12), first divide (9) by p and tak derivative: aa a 10P oe. _ 219 ar at as p Os (4) Second, take the time-derivatives of (12) and (13). In the solid-earth sciences we are fortunate that the material in question does not change during our experiments. This means that K is a constant function of time: ap @@ wo: CKgGH (15) Inserting (14) into (15), the one-dimensional scalar wave equation appears. ep ,214P Wt x Pe A ae (16) In two space dimensions, the exact, acoustic scalar wave equation is,ap (ent Zi2\p a7) oats ay eee toe at? as p Os ' Oz p Ox ‘You will often see the scalar wave equation in a simplified form, in which it is assumed that pis not a function of x and z. Two reasons are often given for this approximation. First, observations are generally unable to determine density, so density may as well be taken as constant, Second, we will soon see that Fourier methods of solution do not work for space variable coefficients. Before examining the validity of this approximation, its consequences will be examined, It immediately reduces (17) to the usual form of the scalar wave equation: arp K/{# a ar=t (& + ) P (1s) a last Br To see that this equation is a restatement of the geometrical concepts of previous sections, insert the trial solution P = exp(—iwt + ikes + ikez) (as) What is obtained is the dispersion relation of the two-dimensional scalar wave equation: 2 w — = +H (20) Kip Later an equation like (20) will be developed by considering only the geometrical behavior of waves. In that development the wave velocity squared is found where xf y stands in equation (20). Thus physies and geometry will be reconciled by the association vos Ql) Last, let us see why Fourier methods fail when the velocity is space variable. Assume that w ky, and k, are constant functions of space. Substitute (19) into (18) and you get the contradiction that w, k,, and k, must be space variable if the velocity is space variable. Try again assuming space variability, and the resulting equation is still a differential equation, not an algebraic equation like (20), Sa ll lo Next: Reflections and the high-frequency Up: Physics Previous: Physics Stanford Exploration Project 10/31/1997