Seismic inversion with generalized Radon transform based on local second-order approximation of scattered field in acoustic media

Sound velocity inversion problem based on scattering theory is formulated in terms of a nonlinear integral equation associated with scattered field. Because of its nonlinearity, in practice, linearization algorisms (Born/single scattering approximation) are widely used to obtain an approximate inversion solution. However, the linearized strategy is not congruent with seismic wave propagation mechanics in strong perturbation (heterogeneous) medium. In order to partially dispense with the weak perturbation assumption of the Born approximation, we present a new approach from the following two steps: firstly, to handle the forward scattering by taking into account the second-order Born approximation, which is related to generalized Radon transform (GRT) about quadratic scattering potential; then to derive a nonlinear quadratic inversion formula by resorting to inverse GRT. In our formulation, there is a significant quadratic term regarding scattering potential, and it can provide an amplitude correction for inversion results beyond standard linear inversion. The numerical experiments demonstrate that the linear single scattering inversion is only good in amplitude for relative velocity perturbation ( \( \delta_{c}/c_{0} \) ) of background media up to 10 %, and its inversion errors are unacceptable for the perturbation beyond 10 %. In contrast, the quadratic inversion can give more accurate amplitude-preserved recovery for the perturbation up to 40 %. Our inversion scheme is able to manage double scattering effects by estimating a transmission factor from an integral over a small area, and therefore, only a small portion of computational time is added to the original linear migration/inversion process.     

PARAMETRIZATION OF GRT INVERSION FOR ACOUSTIC AND P–P SCATTERING1

The generalized Radon transform (GRT) inversion contains an explicit relationship between seismic amplitude variations, the reflection angle and the physical parameters which can be used to describe the earth efficiently for inversion purposes. Using this relationship, we have derived parametrizations for acoustic and P–P scattering so that the variations in seismic amplitude with reflection angle for each parameter are sufficiently independent. These parametrizations show that small offset and large offset amplitudes are related to different physical parameters. In the case of acoustic scattering, the small-offset amplitudes are related to impedance variations while large-offset amplitudes are related to velocity variations. A similar result has been established for P–P scattering. The Born approximation (which is used to derive the GRT inversion) does not correctly predict the amplitude due to velocity variations at large offsets, and thus the inversion of velocity is not as satisfactory as the inversion of impedance.     

共反射角叠前偏移成像研究及应用

共偏移距道集已被广泛地应用于地震速度建模及振幅随偏移距变化(AVO)的研究中,但复杂构造及射线多路径产生的共偏移距道集不保幅性等一系列缺陷给AVO研究带来很大的困难.共反射角道集包含有能反映地下速度和岩性变化的信息,更有利于速度模型优化、地震振幅属性分析及地下岩性和断裂的研究.本文通过研究共反射角深度偏移方法和理论,完善了基于目标的共反射角深度偏移技术,提出了获得相对保幅共反射角道集方法.该方法克服了共偏移距域道集在复杂介质中遇到的困难,更能有效地反映波场和地质结构方面的信息.通过理论模型数据进行了试算,并采用实际地震数据对此方法进行了验证,在陡倾角成像方面取得较好效果.     

Migration velocity analysis and waveform inversion

Least‐squares inversion of seismic reflection waveform data can reconstruct remarkably detailed models of subsurface structure and take into account essentially any physics of seismic wave propagation that can be modelled. However, the waveform inversion objective has many spurious local minima, hence convergence of descent methods (mandatory because of problem size) to useful Earth models requires accurate initial estimates of long‐scale velocity structure. Migration velocity analysis, on the other hand, is capable of correcting substantially erroneous initial estimates of velocity at long scales. Migration velocity analysis is based on prestack depth migration, which is in turn based on linearized acoustic modelling (Born or single‐scattering approximation). Two major variants of prestack depth migration, using binning of surface data and Claerbout's survey‐sinking concept respectively, are in widespread use. Each type of prestack migration produces an image volume depending on redundant parameters and supplies a condition on the image volume, which expresses consistency between data and velocity model and is hence a basis for velocity analysis. The survey‐sinking (depth‐oriented) approach to prestack migration is less subject to kinematic artefacts than is the binning‐based (surface‐oriented) approach. Because kinematic artefacts strongly violate the consistency or semblance conditions, this observation suggests that velocity analysis based on depth‐oriented prestack migration may be more appropriate in kinematically complex areas. Appropriate choice of objective (differential semblance) turns either form of migration velocity analysis into an optimization problem, for which Newton‐like methods exhibit little tendency to stagnate at nonglobal minima. The extended modelling concept links migration velocity analysis to the apparently unrelated waveform inversion approach to estimation of Earth structure: from this point of view, migration velocity analysis is a solution method for the linearized waveform inversion problem. Extended modelling also provides a basis for a nonlinear generalization of migration velocity analysis. Preliminary numerical evidence suggests a new approach to nonlinear waveform inversion, which may combine the global convergence of velocity analysis with the physical fidelity of model‐based data fitting.     

Extended reflectivity method for modelling the propagation of diffusive–viscous wave in dip‐layered media

The reflectivity method plays an important role in seismic modelling. It has been used to model different types of waves propagating in elastic and anelastic media. The diffusive–viscous wave equation was proposed to investigate the relationship between frequency dependence of reflections and fluid saturation. It is also used to describe the attenuation property of seismic wave in a fluid‐saturated medium. The attenuation of diffusive–viscous wave is mainly characterised by the effective attenuation parameters in the equation. Thus, it is essential to obtain those parameters and further characterise the features of the diffusive–viscous wave. In this work, we use inversion method to obtain the effective attenuation parameters through quality factor to investigate the characteristics of diffusive–viscous wave by comparing with those of the viscoacoustic wave. Then, the reflection/transmission coefficients in a dip plane‐layered medium are studied through coordinate transform and plane‐wave theory. Consequently, the reflectivity method is extended to compute seismograms of diffusive–viscous wave in a dip plane multi‐layered medium. Finally, we present two models to simulate the propagation of diffusive–viscous wave in a dip plane multi‐layered medium by comparing the results with those in a viscoacoustic medium. The numerical results demonstrate the validity of our extension of reflectivity method to the diffusive–viscous medium. The numerical examples in both time domain and time–frequency domain show that the reflections from a dip plane interface have significant phase shift and amplitude change compared with the results of horizontal plane interface due to the differences in reflection/transmission coefficients. Moreover, the modelling results show strong attenuation and phase shift in the diffusive–viscous wave compared to those of the viscoacoustic wave.     

P‐wave stacking‐velocity tomography for VTI media

A major complication caused by anisotropy in velocity analysis and imaging is the uncertainty in estimating the vertical velocity and depth scale of the model from surface data. For laterally homogeneous VTI (transversely isotropic with a vertical symmetry axis) media above the target reflector, P‐wave moveout has to be combined with other information (e.g. borehole data or converted waves) to build velocity models for depth imaging. The presence of lateral heterogeneity in the overburden creates the dependence of P‐wave reflection data on all three relevant parameters (the vertical velocity V_P0 and the Thomsen coefficients ε and δ) and, therefore, may help to determine the depth scale of the velocity field. Here, we propose a tomographic algorithm designed to invert NMO ellipses (obtained from azimuthally varying stacking velocities) and zero‐offset traveltimes of P‐waves for the parameters of homogeneous VTI layers separated by either plane dipping or curved interfaces. For plane non‐intersecting layer boundaries, the interval parameters cannot be recovered from P‐wave moveout in a unique way. Nonetheless, if the reflectors have sufficiently different azimuths, a priori knowledge of any single interval parameter makes it possible to reconstruct the whole model in depth. For example, the parameter estimation becomes unique if the subsurface layer is known to be isotropic. In the case of 2D inversion on the dip line of co‐orientated reflectors, it is necessary to specify one parameter (e.g. the vertical velocity) per layer. Despite the higher complexity of models with curved interfaces, the increased angle coverage of reflected rays helps to resolve the trade‐offs between the medium parameters. Singular value decomposition (SVD) shows that in the presence of sufficient interface curvature all parameters needed for anisotropic depth processing can be obtained solely from conventional‐spread P‐wave moveout. By performing tests on noise‐contaminated data we demonstrate that the tomographic inversion procedure reconstructs both the interfaces and the VTI parameters with high accuracy. Both SVD analysis and moveout inversion are implemented using an efficient modelling technique based on the theory of NMO‐velocity surfaces generalized for wave propagation through curved interfaces.     

各向异性介质qP波传播描述I：伪纯模式波动方程

地球介质相对于地震波波长尺度的定向非均匀性会导致波速的各向异性,进而影响地震波场的运动学与动力学特征．各向异性弹性波动方程是描述该类介质波场传播的基本工具,在正演模拟、偏移成像与参数反演中起着关键作用．为了面向实际应用构建灵活、简便的各向异性波场传播算子,人们一直在寻求简化的各向异性波动方程．本文借鉴各向异性弹性波波型分离思想,通过对平面波形式的弹性波方程(即Christoffel方程)实施一种代表向波矢量方向投影的相似变换,推导出了一种适应任意各向异性介质、运动学上与原始弹性波方程完全等价,在动力学上突出qP波的新方程,即qP波伪纯模式波动方程．文中以横向各向同性(TI)介质为例,给出了相应的qP波伪纯模式波动方程及其声学与各向同性近似,并在此基础上开展了正演模拟和逆时偏移试验,展示了这种描述各向异性波场传播的新方程的特点与优势．     

Seismic velocity analysis in the scattering-angle/azimuth domain

Migration velocity analysis is carried out by analysing the residual moveout and amplitude variations in common image point gathers (CIGs) parametrized by scattering angle and azimuth. The misfit criterion in the analysis is of the differential-semblance type. By using angles to parametrize the imaging we are able to handle and exploit data with multiple arrivals, although artefacts may occur in the CIGs and need to be suppressed. The CIGs are generated by angle migration, an approach based on the generalized Radon transform (GRT) inversion, and they provide multiple images of reflectors in the subsurface for a range of scattering angles and azimuths. Within the differential semblance applied to these CIGs, we compensate for amplitude versus angle (AVA) effects. Thus, using a correct background velocity model, the CIGs should have no residual moveout nor amplitude variation with angles, and the differential semblance should vanish. If the velocity model is incorrect, however, the events in the CIGs will appear at different depths for different angles and the amplitude along the events will be non-uniform. A standard, gradient-based optimization scheme is employed to develop a velocity updating procedure. The model update is formed by backprojecting the differential semblance misfits through ray perturbation kernels, within a GRT inverse. The GRT inverse acts on the data, subject to a shift in accordance with ray perturbation theory. The performance of our algorithm is demonstrated with two synthetic data examples using isotropic elastic models. The first one allows velocity variation with depth only. In the second one, we reconstruct a low-velocity lens in the model that gives rise to multipathing. The velocity model parametrization is based upon the eigentensor decomposition of the stiffness tensor and makes use of B-splines.     

Wave-equation migration velocity analysis. I. Theory

We present a migration velocity analysis (MVA) method based on wavefield extrapolation. Similarly to conventional MVA, our method aims at iteratively improving the quality of the migrated image, as measured by the flatness of angle‐domain common‐image gathers (ADCIGs) over the aperture‐angle axis. However, instead of inverting the depth errors measured in ADCIGs using ray‐based tomography, we invert ‘image perturbations’ using a linearized wave‐equation operator. This operator relates perturbations of the migrated image to perturbations of the migration velocity. We use prestack Stolt residual migration to define the image perturbations that maximize the focusing and flatness of ADCIGs. Our linearized operator relates slowness perturbations to image perturbations, based on a truncation of the Born scattering series to the first‐order term. To avoid divergence of the inversion procedure when the velocity perturbations are too large for Born linearization of the wave equation, we do not invert directly the image perturbations obtained by residual migration, but a linearized version of the image perturbations. The linearized image perturbations are computed by a linearized prestack residual migration operator applied to the background image. We use numerical examples to illustrate how the backprojection of the linearized image perturbations, i.e. the gradient of our objective function, is well behaved, even in cases when backprojection of the original image perturbations would mislead the inversion and take it in the wrong direction. We demonstrate with simple synthetic examples that our method converges even when the initial velocity model is far from correct. In a companion paper, we illustrate the full potential of our method for estimating velocity anomalies under complex salt bodies.     

Adaptation of prestack migration to multi-offset ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data

In adapting the prestack migration technique used in seismic imaging to the inversion of ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) from time‐ to depth‐sections, we show that the theoretical integral formulation of the inversion can be applied to electromagnetic problems, albeit with three assumptions. The first two assumptions concern the electromagnetic characteristics of the medium, primarily that the medium must be perfectly resistive and non‐dispersive, and the third concerns the antennae radiation pattern, which is taken to be 2D. The application of this adaptation of the inversion method is confirmed by migrating actual GPR measurements acquired on the test site of the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées. The results show good agreement with the geometry of the structures in the medium and confirm that the possible departure from the assumption of a purely resistive medium has no visible effect on the information concerning the geometry of scattering and reflecting structures. The field experiments also show that prestack migration processing is sufficiently robust with regard to the assumption of a non‐dispersive medium. The assumption of a 2D antennae radiation pattern, however, produces artefacts that could be significant for laterally heterogeneous media. Nevertheless, where the medium is not highly laterally heterogeneous, the migration gives a clear image of the scattering potential due to the geometry of structural contrasts in the medium; the scatterers are well focused from diffraction hyperbolae and well localized. Spatial geometry has limited dimensional accuracy and positions are located with a maximum error equal to the minimum wavelength of the signal bandpass. Objects smaller than one wavelength can nevertheless be detected and well focused if their dielectric contrasts are sufficiently high, as in the case of iron or water in gneiss gravels. Furthermore, the suitability of multi‐offset protocols to estimate the electromagnetic propagating velocity and to decrease the non‐coherent noise level of measurements is confirmed. Our velocity estimation is based on the semblance calculation of multi‐offset migrated images, and we confirmed the relevance of this quantification method using numerical data. The signal‐to‐noise ratio is improved by summing multi‐offset results after the addition of random noise on measurements. Thus the adaptation of prestack migration to multi‐offset radar measurements significantly improves the resolution of the scattering potential of the medium. Limitations associated with the methods used here suggest that 3D algorithms should be applied to strongly laterally heterogeneous media and further studies concerning the waveform inversion are necessary to obtain information about the electric nature of the medium.     

3D description and inversion of reflection moveout of PS‐waves in anisotropic media

Common‐midpoint moveout of converted waves is generally asymmetric with respect to zero offset and cannot be described by the traveltime series t²(x²) conventionally used for pure modes. Here, we present concise parametric expressions for both common‐midpoint (CMP) and common‐conversion‐point (CCP) gathers of PS‐waves for arbitrary anisotropic, horizontally layered media above a plane dipping reflector. This analytic representation can be used to model 3D (multi‐azimuth) CMP gathers without time‐consuming two‐point ray tracing and to compute attributes of PS moveout such as the slope of the traveltime surface at zero offset and the coordinates of the moveout minimum. In addition to providing an efficient tool for forward modelling, our formalism helps to carry out joint inversion of P and PS data for transverse isotropy with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI media). If the medium above the reflector is laterally homogeneous, P‐wave reflection moveout cannot constrain the depth scale of the model needed for depth migration. Extending our previous results for a single VTI layer, we show that the interval vertical velocities of the P‐ and S‐waves (V_P0 and V_S0) and the Thomsen parameters ε and δ can be found from surface data alone by combining P‐wave moveout with the traveltimes of the converted PS(PSV)‐wave. If the data are acquired only on the dip line (i.e. in 2D), stable parameter estimation requires including the moveout of P‐ and PS‐waves from both a horizontal and a dipping interface. At the first stage of the velocity‐analysis procedure, we build an initial anisotropic model by applying a layer‐stripping algorithm to CMP moveout of P‐ and PS‐waves. To overcome the distorting influence of conversion‐point dispersal on CMP gathers, the interval VTI parameters are refined by collecting the PS data into CCP gathers and repeating the inversion. For 3D surveys with a sufficiently wide range of source–receiver azimuths, it is possible to estimate all four relevant parameters (V_P0, V_S0, ε and δ) using reflections from a single mildly dipping interface. In this case, the P‐wave NMO ellipse determined by 3D (azimuthal) velocity analysis is combined with azimuthally dependent traveltimes of the PS‐wave. On the whole, the joint inversion of P and PS data yields a VTI model suitable for depth migration of P‐waves, as well as processing (e.g. transformation to zero offset) of converted waves.     

积分道与基于Born散射的一维声波方程速度反演

基于Born散射理论，推导了适用于常速和变速背景的一维速度反演公式。与经典的Bleistein逆散射反演公式相比，本文考虑了声波在一维有限空间中的传播，选取的边界条件更合理。改进后的公式也揭示了积分道(对反射系数的积分)与绝对速度的关系，更有实用价值。     

The form of the reflection operator and extended image gathers for a dipping plane reflector in two space dimensions

The reflection operator for a simple flat‐lying interface can be thought of as the set of all its plane‐wave reflection coefficients or as the set of virtual surveys with sources and receivers along the interface. When there is dip, however, it is necessary to include the varying effects of propagation between the virtual‐survey level and the interface. Hence, step one in this paper is to derive the reflection operator for a dipping plane interface as observed at a datum level some distance away. The key assumption is that the aperture at the datum level is sufficient to characterize the reflector properties around a particular point. This translates into an assumption that the dip is moderate, though no explicit small‐angle approximation is required. The second step is to find the apparent reflection operator that would relate data that have been extrapolated from the datum towards and possibly beyond the reflector using an assumed migration velocity. This apparent reflection operator is closely related to extended common‐image gathers. The apparent reflection operator may be analysed asymptotically in terms of rays and other signals, shedding light on the structure of extended image gathers. In keeping with the virtual‐survey idea, the results are considered in a subsurface space‐time or slowness‐time domain at various extrapolation levels around the interface. An important distinction is drawn between using subsurface midpoint‐offset coordinates and the wavefield coordinates of the incident and reflected waves. The latter reveal more clearly the effects of dip, because they lead to a more asymmetric apparent reflection operator. Properties such as an up‐dip shift of a traveltime minimum and its associated curvature theoretically provide information about the reflector location and dip and the migration‐velocity error. The space‐time form of the reflection operator can be highly intricate around the offset‐time origin and it was described for a simple flat interface in a background paper. To avoid a layer of mathematics, the reflection‐operator formulas presented here are in the intermediate space‐frequency domain. They are analysed by considering their stationary‐phase and branch‐point high‐frequency contributions. There is no Born‐like assumption of weak reflector contrast and so wide‐angle, total reflection and head‐wave effects are included. Snell’s law is an explicit part of the theory. It is hoped that the work will therefore be a step towards the goal of unifying amplitude‐versus‐offset, imaging and waveform inversion.     

Image‐warping waveform tomography

Imaging the change in physical parameters in the subsurface requires an estimate of the long wavelength components of the same parameters in order to reconstruct the kinematics of the waves propagating in the subsurface. One can reconstruct the model by matching the recorded data with modeled waveforms extrapolated in a trial model of the medium. Alternatively, assuming a trial model, one can obtain a set of images of the reflectors from a number of seismic experiments and match the locations of the imaged interfaces. Apparent displacements between migrated images contain information about the velocity model and can be used for velocity analysis. A number of methods are available to characterize the displacement between images; in this paper, we compare shot‐domain differential semblance (image difference), penalized local correlations, and image‐warping. We show that the image‐warping vector field is a more reliable tool for estimating displacements between migrated images and leads to a more robust velocity analysis procedure. By using image‐warping, we can redefine the differential semblance optimization problem with an objective function that is more robust against cycle‐skipping than the direct image difference. We propose an approach that has straightforward implementation and reduced computational cost compared with the conventional adjoint‐state method calculations. We also discuss the weakness of migration velocity analysis in the migrated‐shot domain in the case of highly refractive media, when the Born modelling operator is far from being unitary and thus its adjoint (migration) operator poorly approximates the inverse.     

共炮检距道集波动方程保幅叠前深度偏移方法

本文提出了一种基于双平方根算子的共炮检距道集波动方程保幅叠前深度偏移方法,将振幅误差补偿作为偏移的一部分与“运动学偏移”一起在偏移过程中实现.其基本内容包括：(1)从保幅的单平方根算子方程出发,推导出由双平方根算子定义的保幅单程波方程;(2)根据地震波摄动理论把速度场分裂为层内常速背景和变速扰动,分别在频率－波数域和频率－空间域求得波场深度延拓的偏移时移量及振幅校正系数,从而得到最终的DSR保幅波场延拓算子;(3)在高频假设条件下,把DSR保幅波场延拓公式中的积分运算进行稳相近似,得到保幅波场延拓的相移公式.理论分析和模型数值试验表明,该方法不但可以使散射能量聚焦、归位,提高成像精度;而且可以输出正确反映地下反射系数的振幅信息,为后续的地震属性分析（如AVO/AVA）提供更真实的地震信息.     

Anisotropic reverse-time migration for tilted TI media

Seismic anisotropy in dipping shales results in imaging and positioning problems for underlying structures. We develop an anisotropic reverse‐time depth migration approach for P‐wave and SV‐wave seismic data in transversely isotropic (TI) media with a tilted axis of symmetry normal to bedding. Based on an accurate phase velocity formula and dispersion relationships for weak anisotropy, we derive the wave equation for P‐wave and SV‐wave propagation in tilted transversely isotropic (TTI) media. The accuracy of the P‐wave equation and the SV‐wave equation is analyzed and compared with other acoustic wave equations for TTI media. Using this analysis and the pseudo‐spectral method, we apply reverse‐time migration to numerical and physical‐model data. According to the comparison between the isotropic and anisotropic migration results, the anisotropic reverse‐time depth migration offers significant improvements in positioning and reflector continuity over those obtained using isotropic algorithms.     

Feasibility study for an anisotropic full waveform inversion of cross‐well seismic data

Anisotropy is often observed due to the thin layering or aligned micro‐structures, like small fractures. At the scale of cross‐well tomography, the anisotropic effects cannot be neglected. In this paper, we propose a method of full‐wave inversion for transversely isotropic media and we test its robustness against structured noisy data. Optimization inversion techniques based on a least‐square formalism are used. In this framework, analytical expressions of the misfit function gradient, based on the adjoint technique in the time domain, allow one to solve the inverse problem with a high number of parameters and for a completely heterogeneous medium. The wave propagation equation for transversely isotropic media with vertical symmetry axis is solved using the finite difference method on the cylindrical system of coordinates. This system allows one to model the 3D propagation in a 2D medium with a revolution symmetry. In case of approximately horizontal layering, this approximation is sufficient. The full‐wave inversion method is applied to a crosswell synthetic 2‐component (radial and vertical) dataset generated using a 2D model with three different anisotropic regions. Complex noise has been added to these synthetic observed data. This noise is Gaussian and has the same amplitude f?k spectrum as the data. Part of the noise is localized as a coda of arrivals, the other part is not localized. Five parameter fields are estimated, (vertical) P‐wave velocity, (vertical) S‐wave velocity, volumetric mass and the Thomsen anisotropic parameters epsilon and delta. Horizontal exponential correlations have been used. The results show that the full‐wave inversion of cross‐well data is relatively robust for high‐level noise even for second‐order parameters such as Thomsen epsilon and delta anisotropic parameters.     

二阶Born近似有限频率走时敏感核

有限频率层析成像考虑了非均匀介质中波的散射、衍射、波前愈合等物理性质,使得其对速度异常体的分辨能力远大于射线层析成像.推导和计算有限频率敏感核是进行有限频率层析成像的关键,当前推导有限频率敏感核多借助一阶Born近似,但这只适用于弱散射介质的情况.本文基于二阶Born近似并利用傅里叶变换推导了三维均匀介质情况下有限频率敏感核的解析表达式,并将其推广到非均匀介质中得到了三维非均匀介质中有限频率敏感核.研究表明:当介质中速度扰动小于2%时,基于二阶Born近似的有限频率敏感核与基于一阶Born近似的有限频率敏感核差别很小,可近似认为相同;当介质中速度扰动大于5%时,基于二阶Born近似的有限频率敏感核与基于一阶Born近似的有限频率敏感核有较大不同,表明此时已不能忽略二次散射.     

参考波速线性变化时的声波方程逆散射反演

声波方程的逆散射反演乃是求解双曲型偏微分方程系数项反问题的一种解析方法,一般利用Born近似把这一非线性反问题线性化,并给出了恒参考波速介质中反问题解的解析表达式.由于Born近似假定波速扰动为一级无穷小,因此,在大多数情况下,恒参考波速介质模型的反问题的解无法得以应用.本文研究介质参考波速沿某个方向线性变化时的声散射理论,导出了声波方程逆散射问题解的解析表达式,从而既可使Born近似的假定在大多数情况下能得以满足,又可利用快速Fourier变换快速实现介质波速扰动的反演成象.