Localization and mode conversion for elastic waves in randomly layered media. I (Q1269341)

We present the localization theory for elastic waves in plane-stratified media, a multimode problem complicated by the interconversion of shear and compressional waves, both in propagation and in backscatter. We consider the low frequency limit, and derive the probability density and moments for the fraction of reflected energy which remains in the same mode (shear or compressional) as the incident field. Our main mathematical tool is a limit theorem for stochastic differential equations with a small parameter.