An asymptotic estimate of the edge effects in the high frequency Kirchhoff diffraction theory for 3-d problems

In the context of wave propagation through a three-dimensional acoustic medium, an analytical approach to estimate the boundary effects in the high-frequency (single) diffraction by thin rigid obstacles is developed. Starting from the classical Kirchhoff (approximate) representation, explicit formulas regarding three sample cases are obtained. The improvement with respect to previous approaches, usually based on refinements of the classical Ray Theory, is evaluated by comparison with the results from a direct numerical solution of the main integrals involved.