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A periodic spatial internal-wave ray toward which neighbouring ray paths converge after reflection in a confined stratified basin. A fixed point of an internal-wave ray return map is attracting when its derivative has magnitude below one. Viscous attenuation of an internal-wave beam and internal-wave breaking regularize the ideal concentration of energy. A spatial ray construction does not remove turning-level limitations of the WKB approximation.

Let $p$ be kinematic pressure, with the resting hydrostatic part subtracted, and let $\sigma$ be the buoyancy perturbation about background buoyancy $N^{2}z$. The nonrotating inviscid Boussinesq equations, with no buoyancy diffusion, areHere the third equation is mass conservation for incompressible flow, and the last expresses buoyancy conservation following a parcel. Linearization about rest removes the products of disturbances. For a plane internal gravity wave proportional to $e^{i(kx+mz-\omega t)}$, the resulting Linearized Boussinesq equations becomeWith $K=(k^2+m^2{)}^{1/2}$ and $k\ne 0$, the first and third equations give $\hat{p}=-m\omega \hat{w}/k^2$. Substitution in vertical momentum and buoyancy gives the dispersion relationSince the velocity is the time derivative of the displacement field, $\hat{\mathbf{u}}=-i\omega \hat{\mathbf{\xi }}$. Thus the complete buoyancy polarization of a plane internal gravity wave isBoth velocity and displacement are perpendicular to the wavevector; pressure and velocity are in quadrature with buoyancy and displacement.

For upward/rightward phase velocity, choose $k,m>0$ and $\omega =Nk/K$. Differentiating this dispersion relation gives the group velocity, while the vector phase velocity points along the wavevector:Their dot product is zero and ${\mathbf{c}}_p+{\mathbf{c}}_g=(N/K,0)$. Draw ${\mathbf{c}}_g$ from the tip of ${\mathbf{c}}_p$: the right-triangle geometry of internal-wave velocities has horizontal hypotenuse $N/K$. This hypotenuse is distinct from the horizontal phase velocity $\omega /k$.

At an instant with real complex amplitude $\hat{\sigma }=A$, write $\varphi =kx+mz-\omega t$. The spatial fields areThe constant-phase lines of an internal gravity wave slope down to the right, with $dz/dx=-k/m$. Buoyancy maxima lie a quarter wavelength from pressure maxima; the oscillating displacement and velocity run along the phase lines. The group velocity points down and right along them, despite upward/rightward motion of the wave phase.

Let $P=\overline{{\xi }_{x}u+{\zeta }_{x}w}$, using horizontal averaging over a wavelength. This is the displacement pseudomomentum of an internal gravity wave, whose sign convention is opposite to $k\overline{E}/\omega$. For complex coefficients, $\overline{ab}=\frac{1}{2}\mathrm{Re}(\hat{a}{\hat{b}}^{\ast })$. The above wave polarization consequently givesSince $c_{gz}=-\omega m/K^2$, these obey $\overline{{\zeta }_{x}p}=c_{gz}P$. With weak kinematic viscosity, each leading monochromatic velocity component satisfies ${\nabla }^{2}u=-K^{2}u$, ${\nabla }^{2}w=-K^{2}w$. The dissipative term is therefore $-\nu K^{2}P$, so the supplied averaged balance reduces toFor constant $k,m,N$ and a steady wave envelope, $c_{gz}{P}_z=-\nu K^{2}P$. As $P$ is proportional to squared wave amplitude, viscous attenuation of an internal gravity wave givesHere $c_{gz}<0$, so amplitude decreases below a source at $z_s$: the source is above the receiving level. The same conclusion follows directly because downward group velocity carries energy from the source downward. Upward phase velocity does not locate the source.

For a slowly varying mean shear flow $U(z)$, the local intrinsic frequency is $\hat{\omega }=\omega -kU(z)$. A local WKB approximation uses ${\hat{\omega }}^2=N^2{k}^2/(k^2+m(z{)}^2)$, with varying vertical wavenumber and group velocity. The appropriate transported quantity is wave action, or horizontal wave pseudomomentum $kE/\hat{\omega }$; its vertical flux has viscous loss, and the changing polarization factors must be retained. In particular, $P/|\hat{\sigma }{|}^2$ is no longer constant.

Near a critical level of an internal gravity wave, $\hat{\omega }\to 0$, so $|m|\sim N|k|/|\hat{\omega }|$ and $|c_{gz}|\sim {\hat{\omega }}^2/(N|k|)$. The damping per vertical distance, of order $\nu K^2/|c_{gz}|$, grows rapidly. The waves are strongly attenuated over a narrow altitude range and transfer momentum to the mean flow there or before reaching the critical level. The inviscid WKB approximation eventually fails; viscosity and possibly internal-wave breaking regulate the small scales.

Use the spatial internal-wave ray tracing model, with $dx/dz=\pm 16z$, and reflect the rays so that the frequency and tangential wave number are preserved. At a vertical wall the horizontal energy direction reverses; at a horizontal wall the vertical energy direction reverses. On the sloping wall the reflection depends on internal-wave slope criticality. The three-reflection orbit below encounters that wall at a height above $3/16$, so the wall reverses the horizontal energy direction there.

First take the packet to leave the bottom upward and to the left, with $0<x_0<6$. The four segments of the loop areThe left-wall reflection is at $z=\sqrt{x_0/8}$ and the top reflection at $x=8-x_0$. The slope intersection solves $8z_s^2+3z_s+x_0-10=0$, giving the internal-wave ray return mapThus the next formal bottom reflection is at $(R(x_0),0)$. On $0<x_0<6$, the slope heights are between approximately $0.544$ and $0.946$, consistent with the assumed reflection type.

An internal-wave attractor is a stable periodic ray, so solve $R(x_{\ast })=x_{\ast }$. This gives $z_s=2/3$, and thereforeThe successive vertices areThis is clockwise circulation in the $(x,z)$ plane. Differentiating the internal-wave ray return map showsNeighbouring bottom intersections converge to the periodic orbit, geometrically focusing the energy beam.

For completeness, the opposite upward launch direction has the reversed three-reflection itinerary: slope, top, left. In the interval where this itinerary is valid, putThe three-reflection reverse map is $R^{-1}$, with domain $R(0)<x_0<R(6)$. Its fixed point is the same, but $R_{\mathrm{rev}}^{\prime }(x_{\ast })=41/23>1$. Counterclockwise packets defocus from that orbit. Except for the exactly periodic reverse ray, they eventually leave this itinerary. In the full geometric reflection construction, omitted-side or additional-slope reflections redirect generic rays into the clockwise attracting branch. Tangency and exactly critical reflections are singular exceptions requiring finite-wavelength or dissipative treatment.

The bottom reflection is a formal spatial-ray idealization: part (b) shows that the WKB approximation itself fails near $z=0$, so the diagram does not imply arrival and reflection there in finite WKB travel time. In a real fluid, viscous attenuation of an internal-wave beam, finite wavelength, internal-wave breaking and ensuing turbulence and mixing limit the beam width and energy density. Unlimited focusing is a property of the ideal geometric model, not a prediction for the resolved physical wave.