Eigenwaves: Finite-frequency Eigenrays in Elastic Anisotropic Media

Abstract

The Eigenray method solves two-point boundary-value ray-tracing problems in heterogeneous anisotropic elastic media using a variational formulation based on the eikonal equation. Here, we extend the method to finite frequencies using the trajectory-mechanics formulation in which finite-frequency effects are represented by a frequency-dependent potential that couples phase and amplitude. We show that finite-frequency propagation can be described within the same variational framework through an equivalent effective medium, preserving the structure of the original method while introducing corrections to trajectories, phase, amplitudes, geometric spreading, wavefront curvature, and caustic behavior. The resulting Eigenwave formulation requires only local modifications of the ray velocity and its derivatives and reduces to classical ray theory in the high-frequency limit. Numerical examples involving multipathing and cusp caustics demonstrate accurate modeling of finite-frequency propagation effects. While ray-based amplitudes become unreliable near caustics, a phase-space (Maslov) treatment successfully reproduces finite-difference wavefield solutions. These results establish Eigenwave theory as a unified framework connecting ray theory and finite-frequency wave propagation in heterogeneous anisotropic media.