Wave propagation in random media: beyond Gaussian statistics

Abstract

In this paper we review some aspects of wave propagation in random media. In the physics literature the picture seems simple: for large propagation distances, the wavefield has Gaussian statistics, mean zero, and second-order moments determined by radiative transfer theory. The results for the first two moments can be proved under general circumstances by multiscale analysis. The Gaussian conjecture for the statistical distribution of the wavefield can be proved in some propagation regimes, such as the white-noise paraxial regime that we address in the first part of this review. It may, however, be wrong in other regimes, such as in randomly perturbed open waveguides, that we address in the second part of this review. In the third and last part, we reconcile the two results by showing that the Gaussian conjecture is restored in randomly perturbed open waveguides in the high-frequency regime, when the number of propagating modes increases.