A review of the receiver function method
接收函数方法的研究综述

The P receiver function method and S receiver function method obtained from the teleseismic body waves have become powerful techniques in detecting the discontinuities in the crust and upper mantle underneath a seismic station. The P receiver function method is widely used in determining the S wave velocity structure of the crust, the thickness and bulk composition of the crust, the variation in the thickness of the mantle transition zone and the discontinuities in the mantle lithosphere. While the S receiver function technique, as an excellent complement for the P receiver function method, can identify the discontinuities of the mantle lithosphere(for example, Moho and LAB) using the higher resolution body waves than surface wave observations, because in the depth interval between Moho and the mantle transition zone, Sp converted phases arrive much earlier than the multiples from the shallow discontinuities, but the Ps converted are often invisible owing to the heavily disturb of multiples. In this paper, we present the application of P receiver function and S receiver function in mapping the discontinuities in the crust and upper mantle and the related research thoughts.