  The conventional Perfectly Matched Layer (PML) is unstable for certain kinds
of anisotropic media. This instability is intrinsic and independent of PML
formulation or implementation. The Multi-axial PML (MPML) removes such
instability using a nonzero damping coefficient in the direction parallel with
the interface between a PML and the investigated domain. The damping ratio of
MPML is the ratio between the damping coefficients along the directions
parallel with and perpendicular to the interface between a PML and the
investigated domain. No quantitative approach is available for obtaining these
damping ratios for general anisotropic media. We develop a quantitative
approach to determining optimal damping ratios to not only stabilize PMLs, but
also minimize the artificial reflections from MPMLs. Numerical tests based on
finite-difference method show that our new method can effectively provide a set
of optimal MPML damping ratios for elastic-wave propagation in 2D and 3D
general anisotropic media.
