Applications of a fast helmholtz solver in exploration seismology

Seismic imaging techniques rely on a velocity model inverted from noisy data via a non-linear inverse problem. This inferred velocity model may be inaccurate and lead to incorrect interpretations of the subsurface. In this thesis, I combine a fast Helmholtz solver, the field expansion method, with a reduced velocity model parameterization to address the impact of an uncertain or inaccurate velocity model. I modify the field expansion framework to accurately simulate the acoustic field for velocity models that commonly occur in seismic imaging. The field expansion method describes the acoustic field in a periodic medium in which the velocity model and source repeat infinitely in the horizontal direction, much like a diffraction grating. This Helmholtz solver achieves significant computational speed by restricting the velocity model to consists of a number of non-overlapping piecewise layers.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctoral

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Ely, Gregory Tsiang.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Alison Malcolm.

• Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/121757

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/121757