# On the eigenmodes of periodic orbits for multiple scattering problems in 2D

## TL;DR

This paper develops an asymptotic approximation for the phases of densities in periodic orbits of multiple scattering problems in 2D, enabling faster ray tracing independent of frequency.

## Contribution

It introduces a Taylor series-based asymptotic approximation for phases in periodic orbits, applicable to multiple obstacles, improving computational efficiency in high-frequency wave problems.

## Key findings

- Phase coefficients are independent of wavenumber and incident wave.
- The method accelerates ray tracing schemes after initial iterations.
- Explicit algorithms are provided for arbitrary 2D obstacles.

## Abstract

Wave propagation and acoustic scattering problems require vast computational resources to be solved accurately at high frequencies. Asymptotic methods can make this cost potentially frequency independent by explicitly extracting the oscillatory properties of the solution. However, the high-frequency wave pattern becomes very complicated in the presence of multiple scattering obstacles. We consider a boundary integral equation formulation of the Helmholtz equation in two dimensions involving several obstacles, for which ray tracing schemes have been previously proposed. The existing analysis of ray tracing schemes focuses on periodic orbits between a subset of the obstacles. One observes that the densities on each of the obstacles converge to an equilibrium after a few iterations. In this paper we present an asymptotic approximation of the phases of those densities in equilibrium, in the form of a Taylor series. The densities represent a full cycle of reflections in a periodic orbit. We initially exploit symmetry in the case of two circular scatterers, but also provide an explicit algorithm for an arbitrary number of general 2D obstacles. The coefficients, as well as the time to compute them, are independent of the wavenumber and of the incident wave. The results may be used to accelerate ray tracing schemes after a small number of initial iterations.