Probing of a Stratified Medium by Means of a Magnetic Dipole: A Geometrical Optics Approach

The propagation of a field radiated by a vertical magnetic dipole located in a plane stratified medium is described in terms of rays obeying geometrical optics laws. This leads to a simple equation linking the field to the complex permittivity of each layer. This equation is then solved to obtain the real permittivity and the conductivity of each layer. In addition it is shown, by rigorously simulating measured values, that the knowledge of the phase of the field provides valuable information on the location of the interfaces.