Calculation of acoustic wave scattering by means of the Helmholtz integral equation. I

For the calculation of wave scattering by targets of complex shape it is suggested that the Helmholtz integral equation be solved in configuration space directly. Expansion in terms of spherical or spheroidal waves is thus avoided. The method is tested by calculating the scattering of acoustic waves by rigid spheroids of various shapes and orientations. The method appears to be particularly well suited to the intermediate wavelength regime where the wavelength is comparable to the dimension of the target.