Fourth-order schemes for the wave equation,Maxwell equations,and linearized elastodynamic equations

With simple finite-difference operators we construct fourth-order schemes in space and in time for the wave equation, Maxwell equations, and linearized elastodynamic equations using the modified equation approach. The schemes remain stable for arbitrary heterogeneous mediums because the relevant difference operators are always positive definite. We also present some dispersion curves to show the accuracy of the schemes. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.