Parabolic equations for inhomogeneous elasticity

A set of parabolic equations is derived for time-harmonic wave propagation in an inhomogeneous elastic medium. The formulation is three-dimensional, a nd is written explicitly in Cartesian coordinates. Arbitrary spatial variat ions in density and in elastic parameters are considered. The parabolic equ ations are similar to previous equations used in computational ocean acoust ics, and thus previously developed efficient numerical techniques may be ap plied directly to the elastic equations derived here.