Dispersion and attenuation for an acoustic wave equation consistent with viscoelasticity

An acoustic wave equation for pressure accounting for viscoelastic attenuation is derived from viscoelastic equations of motion. It differs significantly from the equations proposed by Szabo. Dispersion and attenuation associated with the viscoelastic wave equation is examined. The theory is applied to three classes of viscoelastic models and to the linear attenuation model.