Seismic impedance ($Z=\rho \beta =\sqrt{\rho \mu }$)

For a one-dimensional shear elastic wave, the seismic impedance is the magnitude of the ratio of stress to particle velocity in a progressive wave. With the positive coordinate aligned with elastic wave propagation and tension-positive stress, $\sigma =-Zv$ for the forward wave and $\sigma =Zv$ for the backward wave. Its instantaneous elastic-wave energy flux is $-v\sigma$.

At normal incidence, a uniform lossless elastic wave layer of thickness $h_j$, speed $c_j$ and seismic impedance $q_j={\rho }_j{c}_j$ has wave phase thickness ${\delta }_j=\omega h_j/c_j$. With phasors proportional to $e^{-i\omega t}$, particle velocity $V$ and compressive traction $P=-T$, the displayed matrix maps $(V,P)$ from the top to the bottom. It has determinant one. Multiplying these matrices in physical order accounts for all coherent multiple reflections. Continuity of $V,P$ connects adjacent layers without another propagation factor.

The two-layer cell seismic layer transfer matrix has reciprocal eigenvalues because its determinant is one. Writing them as $e^{\pm iKd}$ gives the displayed half-trace relation. At a real frequency, an absolute half-trace exceeding one forces an exponentially growing/decaying pair instead of propagating cell modes. A long finite stack then suppresses transmission in this stop band, without dissipating energy: the missing transmitted flux is reflected. Quarter-wave layers of unequal seismic impedance give half-trace $-\frac{1}{2}(q_1/q_2+q_2/q_1)<-1$.

These characteristic wave amplitudes split a one-dimensional elastic wave into forward and backward components. Their instantaneous net elastic-wave energy flux is ${\varphi }_{+}^2-{\varphi }_{-}^2$. For real-part harmonic phasors the mean flux is $(|{\varphi }_{+}{|}^2-|{\varphi }_{-}{|}^2)/2$. In a static graded medium with real positive seismic impedance, put $g=(\log Z{)}^{\prime }/2$; then ${\partial }_x{\varphi }_{\pm }\pm {\beta }^{-1}{\partial }_t{\varphi }_{\pm }=g{\varphi }_{\mp }$. Seismic impedance gradients couple the two directions while preserving net flux.

At zero frequency the graded-layer transfer equation integrates to $\exp [L\left(\begin{array}{cc}0& 1\\ 1& 0\end{array}\right)]$, where $L=\frac{1}{2}\log (Z_b/Z_a)$. Eliminating the outgoing wave amplitude at the left endpoint gives the displayed incoming-to-outgoing scattering matrix. It is real orthogonal, so it preserves total incoming and outgoing flux. It coincides with continuity of velocity and traction at a sharp seismic impedance interface; the profile between the endpoints enters at nonzero frequency.