This book integrates concepts from physical acoustics with those from linear viscoelasticity
and fractional linear viscoelasticity. Compressional waves and shear waves in applications such
as medical ultrasound elastography and sediment acoustics often follow power law attenuation
and dispersion laws that cannot be described with classical viscous and relaxation models. This
is accompanied by temporal power laws rather than the temporal exponential responses of
classical models. The book starts by reformulating the classical models of acoustics in terms
of standard models from linear elasticity. Then non-classical loss models that follow power
laws and which are expressed via convolution models and fractional derivatives are covered in
depth. In addition parallels are drawn to electromagnetic waves in complex dielectric media.
The book also contains historical vignettes and important side notes about the validity of
central questions. While addressed primarily to physicists and engineers working in the field
of acoustics this expert monograph will also be of interest to mathematicians mathematical
physicists and geophysicists.
