On the Number of Propagation Paths in Multilayer Media

Abstract

We consider the problem of enumerating paths of the type shown in Figure 1. A wave leaves A and arrives at B along a path that is straight line except perhaps at the intersection with horizontal lines where the wave may be reflected. The layers between lines represent homogeneous media through which the wave travels in a straight line only. At the boundary between layers, a wave is either reflected or transmitted. This models, for example, sound in sea water and electromagnetic waves in soil associated with power transmission, LaGrace et al. [6]. Figure 1 shows that points A and B are embedded between two layers, in which case a path may cross the AB line some number of times. A similar problem exists in the reflection of light by adjacent panes of glass.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1988
Accession Number
ADA605503

Entities

People

  • Jon T. Butler

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Boundaries
  • Electromagnetic Wave Propagation
  • Information Operations
  • Power Series
  • Reflection
  • Sea Water
  • Sequences
  • Specifications
  • Standards
  • Wave Propagation

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Explosive Engineering.
  • Graph Algorithms and Convex Optimization.