Macroscopic Wave Propagation for 2D Lattice with Random Masses

Abstract

We consider a simple two-dimemsional harmonic lattice with random, independent and identically distributed masses. Using the methods of stochastic homogenization, we show that solutions with long wave initial data converge in an appropriate sense to solutions of an effective wave equation. The convergence is strong and almost sure. In addition, the role of the lattice's dimension in the rate of convergence is discussed. The technique combines energy estimates with powerful classical results about sub-Gaussian random variables.