Abstract :
In this paper, an overview of the calculation of synthetic seismograms using the Gaussian
beam method is presented accompanied by some representative applications and new extensions of the
method. Since caustics are a frequent occurrence in seismic wave propagation, modifications to ray theory
are often necessary. In the Gaussian beam method, a summation of paraxial Gaussian beams is used to
describe the propagation of high-frequency wave fields in smoothly varying inhomogeneous media. Since
the beam components are always nonsingular, the method provides stable results over a range of beam
parameters. The method has been shown, however, to perform better for some problems when different
combinations of beam parameters are used. Nonetheless, with a better understanding of the method as well
as new extensions, the summation of Gaussian beams will continue to be a useful tool for the modeling of
high-frequency seismic waves in heterogeneous media.
