title: The spectral-element method, Beowulf computing, and global seismology.
abstract: The propagation of seismic waves through Earth can now be modeled accurately with the recently developed spectral-element method. This method takes into account heterogeneity in Earth models, such as three-dimensional variations of seismic wave velocity, density, and crustal thickness. The method is implemented on relatively inexpensive clusters of personal computers, so-called Beowulf machines. This combination of hardware and software enables us to simulate broadband seismograms without intrinsic restrictions on the level of heterogeneity or the frequency content.
authors.affiliation: Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. komatits@gps.caltech.edu
authors.forename: Dimitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Komatitsch
authors.forename: Jeroen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ritsema
authors.forename: Jeroen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tromp