For real , the wave equation has the conserved Wronskian flux
For this ordinary plasma wave, the time-averaged Poynting flux is . With no incident wave from the right, evaluating the same Wronskian flux on both sides proves
The coefficients in f also satisfy this identity algebraically, before the opaque-barrier expansion.
A plasma wave resonance makes the ideal cold description singular and requires an appropriate causal regularization. A passive resonant layer can absorb wave energy into particle motion, or convert it into another branch. For the two measured outgoing channels one then has
with when resonant absorption or uncounted mode conversion occurs. A numerical value of requires the layer physics; a resonance by itself does not specify a universal loss fraction. Counting all converted and absorbed energy preserves conservation of energy.
For incidence from cap rock (1) into reservoir (2), use the conventional normal-incidence stress-amplitude reflection coefficient
Here acoustic impedance is the P wave impedance; is the corresponding shear-wave impedance. Positive preserves the chosen stress-wave seismic reflection polarity; negative reverses it. These are amplitude coefficients, not reflected energy fractions. At normal incidence in the ideal isotropic model there is no P-to-S mode conversion. The cap-rock impedances are
The following are approximate readings of the supplied Figure 1 PNG, checked against the matching source PDF, rather than exact tabulated parameters. At zero gas, use , , and ; at full gas use , , and . The left-hand endpoint is crowded against the axis and the density curve; readings differing by roughly in the plotted units are reasonable. The resulting coefficients deserve about two significant figures, not the apparent precision of the intermediate arithmetic.
Both end members change seismic reflection polarity, but the P wave change is much larger: approximately to , compared with to for S waves. Thus a calibrated P wave survey is better for distinguishing these two saturation end members and should give a stronger reflection from the fully gas-filled reservoir. A negative P wave reflection relative to the water-filled prediction is a useful gas indicator in this stipulated model. In a real seismic reflection survey, lithology, porosity, effective pressure, and seismic wavelet phase also affect the response, so a bright or reversed reflection alone does not prove the presence of gas.
Plasma wave resonance 2026-10-24
A limiting point of a plasma wave branch with divergent refractive index. At finite coefficients of the magnetized cold-plasma dielectric tensor, the generic condition is . Poles of that magnetized cold-plasma dielectric tensor require a separate limiting analysis. Collisions, thermal dispersion or mode conversion can regularize a singular cold prediction.