Kirchhoff Surface Integral Method
Kirchhoff Surface Integral Method :
This method originates from Kirchhoff’s solution of the Cauchy problem, i.e., finding a solution of the wave equation for given initial conditions on the wave function and its time derivative defined for the whole space. The solution was expressed as a surface integral of functions given as initial conditions properly time-shifted and weighted over a spherical surface centered at the observation point. It can be generalized to an integral over a non-spherical surface enclosing the region where the homogeneous wave equation is valid. It can be used, for example, to represent scattered waves from a rough surface as a surface integral. The integral reduces to ray-theoretical solution for the planar surface. See Chapman (2002), and biographies of Augustin Louis Cauchy and Gustav Kirchhoff in Howell (2003)
