  In this review, a model (the Random Coupling Model) that gives a statistical
description of the coupling of radiation into and out of large enclosures
through localized and/or distributed channels is presented. The Random Coupling
Model combines both deterministic and statistical phenomena. The model makes
use of wave chaos theory to extend the classical modal description of the
cavity fields in the presence of boundaries that lead to chaotic ray
trajectories. The model is based on a clear separation between the universal
statistical behavior of the isolated chaotic system, and the deterministic
coupling channel characteristics. Moreover, the ability of the random coupling
model to describe interconnected cavities, aperture coupling, and the effects
of short ray trajectories is discussed. A relation between the random coupling
model and other formulations adopted in acoustics, optics, and statistical
electromagnetics, is examined. In particular, a rigorous analogy of the random
coupling model with the Statistical Energy Analysis used in acoustics is
presented.
