Mathematical Aspects of Seismology

Developments in Solid Earth Geophysics, 4: Mathematical Aspects of Seismology introduces studies of the more advanced parts of theoretical seismology. The manuscript first ponders on contour integration and conformal transformation, methods of stationary phase and steepest descent, and series integration. Discussions focus on Love waves in heterogeneous isotropic media, Laguerre's differential equation, Hermite's differential equation, method of steepest descent, method of stationary phase, contour integration in the complex plane, and conformal transformation. The text then examines series integration, Bessel functions, Legendre functions, and wave equations. Topics include general considerations of the wave equation, expansion of a spherical wave into plane waves, common features of special functions and special differential equations, applications of Legendre functions, Legendre polynomials, Bessel's differential equation, and properties of Bessel coefficients. The book explores the influence of gravity on wave propagation, matrix calculus, wave propagation in liquid media, integral equations, calculus of variations, and integral transforms. The text is a valuable source of data for researchers wanting to study the mathematical aspects of seismology.