Kirchhoff evaluation of scattered elastic wavefields in anisotropic media

Three-dimensional elastic wave scattering is addressed for the case of general anisotropic materials. For traction-free scatterers the elastodynamic Kirchhoff approximation is applied, which is valid at high frequencies and near specular angles. Based on a mathematical formulation including Green's triadic stress tensor function, asymptotic evaluation yields the displacement vector of the scattered wavefield in a form which is convenient for effective numerical computation. The (point source) far-field approximation applied to Green's triadic function is valid in noncaustic regions. (C) 2000 Acoustical Society of America. [S0001-4966(00)00805-5].