2D Ray Tracing Program

2D ray tracing is a technique used to simulate wave propagation paths through media, widely applied in fields such as seismic wave forward modeling and acoustic wave propagation analysis. A 2D ray tracing program implemented in MATLAB can efficiently calculate wave propagation characteristics in complex media, providing theoretical support for seismic exploration and subsurface structure analysis.

The core concept of the program is based on the ray tracing algorithm, mainly consisting of the following key steps: Initial Ray Generation: Rays are generated based on the source position and initial angle, serving as the starting point for simulation. Medium Parameter Input: A 2D grid model is defined, setting wave velocities for different regions (such as layered media or complex structures). Ray Path Calculation: Using Snell's law to calculate refraction and reflection of rays at medium interfaces and track their propagation paths. Time Field Calculation: Recording the propagation time of each ray for subsequent seismic wave forward analysis.

In MATLAB implementation, matrix operations are typically employed to optimize computational efficiency, while visualization tools (such as the `plot` function) intuitively display ray paths and wavefront propagation. This program is not only suitable for seismological research but can also be extended to wave propagation simulations in fields such as acoustics and optics.

Extension Ideas: Combining the Finite Difference Method (FDM) to improve simulation accuracy in complex media. Incorporating anisotropic medium models to more realistically simulate subsurface structures. Utilizing GPU acceleration (such as `gpuArray`) to enhance computational speed for large-scale models.