Open AccessExact and asymptotic synthetic multiplet spectra on an ellipsoidal earth
Author(s) -
Dahlen F. A.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
geophysical journal of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.302
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1365-246X
pISSN - 0016-8009
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1979.tb02551.x
Subject(s) - multiplet , ellipsoid , spectral line , physics , limit (mathematics) , attenuation , line (geometry) , symmetry (geometry) , computational physics , mathematical analysis , geometry , optics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , astronomy
Summary. Exact spectra of a normal mode multiplet n S l or n T l on a non‐rotating ellipsoidal earth are composed of l + 1 lines. Asymptotically, in the limit of large l , such spectra appear, however, as a single line or peak broadened by attenuation alone. The location within the multiplet of this single peak depends only upon the angle of inclination of the source‐receiver great circle path to the axis of ellipsoidal symmetry. The appearance of a single peak is produced by the cancellation of nearby singlets. To assess the utility of the single peak approximation, exact and asymptotic synthetic spectra have been compared directly for a number of multiplets and for a variety of source‐receiver configurations. Except in the immediate vicinity of the source and its antipode, the approximation appears to be satisfactory on an ellipsoidal earth down to about l ∼ 10. Additional studies will be required to determine the limits of validity on a laterally heterogeneous earth.