Calculation of low-frequency sound fields in irregular waveguides with strong backscattering

Abstract

An approach is developed for calculating the sound fields in a non-stratified sea medium with irregularities that are not weak. The method of cross sections for horizontal parts of acoustic modes is used to obtain first-order causal equations that are equivalent to the boundary-value problem. A matrix equation describing the backscattered field of modes is analyzed, and the conditions that determine the weakness of the irregularities of the medium and the validity of the known approximate methods of sound field calculations are considered. The approximation of unidirectional propagation is represented in the form of quadratures. The example of a 2D shallow-water waveguide with a strongly irregular profile of a perfectly rigid bottom is considered to illustrate the advantages of the proposed approach in comparison with the approximate methods for specific low frequencies. The qualitative and quantitative differences that arise because of taking into account the backscattering between the curves of propagation losses corresponding to the exact solution and the conventional approximate methods are discussed.