Description
Prestack depth migration requires an accurate kinematic velocity model to image the subsurface correctly. Wave equation migration velocity analysis techniques aim to update the background velocity model by minimizing image residuals to achieve the correct model. The most commonly used technique is differential semblance optimization (DSO), which depends on applying an image extension and penalizing the energy in the non-physical extension. However, studies show that the conventional DSO gradient is contaminated with artifact noise and unwanted oscillations which might lead to local minima. To deal with this issue and improve the stability of DSO, recent studies proposed to use an inversion formula rather than migration to obtain the image. Migration is defined as the adjoint of Born modeling. Since the inversion is complicated and expensive, a pseudo inverse is used instead. A pseudo inverse formula has been developed recently for the horizontal space shift extended Born. This formula preserves the true amplitude and reduces the artifact noise even when an incorrect velocity is used. Although the theory for such an inverse is well developed, it has only been derived and tested on laterally homogeneous models. This is because the formula contains a derivative of the image with respect to a vertical extension evaluated at zero offset. Implementing the vertical extension is computationally expensive, which means this derivative needs to be computed without applying the additional extension. For laterally invariant models, the inverse is simplified and this derivative is eliminated. I implement the full asymptotic inverse to the extended Born to account for laterally heterogeneity. I compute the derivative of the image with respect to a vertical extension without performing any additional shift. This is accomplished by applying the derivative to the imaging condition and utilizing the chain rule. The fact that this derivative is evaluated at zero offset vertical extension, makes it possible to compute the derivative without applying the extension. I also verify the newly proposed inversion formula on a laterally variant velocity model. In addition, I test the effect of the computed derivative and compare its contribution with the full formula. This additional term has overall limited influence on conventional images. Its largest impact is on vertical reflectors such as salt flanks, granted the velocity is varying laterally in the background as often is in this case. Otherwise, for most applications, we can obtain good quality extended images without this additional term.
Date made available | 2018 |
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Publisher | KAUST Research Repository |