Ray Tracing of Magnetohydrodynamic Waves in Geospace

摘要

The method of ray tracing is reviewed for MHD waves in stationary media and for media in the steady state. The method is generalized to allow for media that change arbitrarily but slowly in space and time. This requires an additional equation representing the change in frequency along the ray as a result of Doppler shifts. Explicit expressions for ray tracing of transverse Alfven waves and magnetosonic waves are presented. Some illustrative examples are presented.