The ray approach for analyzing the modal structure of the sound field in a range-dependent waveguide

Simple ray-approximation formulas are obtained for the mode amplitudes in a waveguide with range-dependent parameters. The idea of the proposed approach is based on the mode expansion of the complex field amplitude determined using the geometrical-optics approximation. A specific example of calculating mode amplitudes is analyzed for a deep-water sound channel with a sound speed profile nonadiabatically varying with distance. The results of the calculation are compared with the numerical solution obtained for the same problem by the parabolic equation method.