Definitions for "Rayleigh Wave"
A surface acoustic wave (propagated along a flat surface; e.g., a ground surface) in which the particle motion is elliptical and retrograde with respect to the direction of propagation. Rayleigh waves probably are induced by shear wave components and result from differential velocities between the surface layer and deeper layers within the medium.
A type of surface wave in which the individual particles of material move in an elliptic path within a vertical plane in the direction of wave movement.
A type of surface wave having a retrograde, elliptical motion at the free surface. is named after Lord Rayleigh, the English physicist who predicted its existence.