On Rayleigh wave in half-space: An asymptotic approach to study the Rayleigh function and its relation to the Rayleigh wave

Abstract

To obtain the synthetic seismogram using the Cagniard-de Hoop method, one needs to calculate the integral over slowness. When the source is shallow and the slowness is near the zero of the Rayleigh function, the integrand behaves like a sharp pulse. In this study, we attempt to study this pulse with an asymptotic approach, and conclude that the Rayleigh wave in the time domain originates from this pulse in the slowness domain.We therefore offer an explanation of the excitation of the Rayleigh wave in a mathematical point of view. In addition, we propose a method to improve the efficiency of the numerical quadrature in the calculation of the synthetic seismogram.