Small perturbation method of high-frequency bistatic volume scattering from marine sediments

The first-order small perturbation method (Born approximation), as frequently applied to high-frequency scattering from marine sediments, is critically reviewed, tested for accuracy and extended. The sediment is modeled as an acoustic-fluid half space with random fluctuations in density and compressibility. Several cases of volume scattering from typical marine sand and mud sediments are presented to illustrate the effects of two important assumptions: (1) the effects of assuming the density and compressibility fluctuations are proportional, and (2) half-space effects. By relaxing the assumption that the sediment density and compressibility are proportional, the bistatic scattering cross section is significantly altered. The effects of properly modeling the sediment as a random half space (as opposed to an infinite continuum) are also discussed. In the context of first-order perturbation theory, half-space effects manifest themselves as a "modified" spectra for density and compressibility fluctuations. It is shown that, for lossy sediments and for scattering near the specular direction, half-space effects are significant and cannot be neglected. This result is significant because current models of sediment volume scattering do not include half-space effects. In addition to the theoretical model, exact numerical simulations are used to evaluate the accuracy of the perturbation model for a limited number of cases.