An algebraic formulation of geophysical inverse problems

Many geophysical inverse problems derive from governing partial differential equations with unknown coefficients. Alternatively, inverse problems often arise from integral equations associated with a Green's function solution to a governing differential equation. In their discrete form such equations reduce to systems of polynomial equations, known as algebraic equations. Using techniques from computational algebra one can address questions of the existence of solutions to such equations as well as the uniqueness of the solutions. The techniques are enumerative and exhaustive, requiring a finite number of computer operations. For example, calculating a bound to the total number of solutions reduces to computing the dimension of a linear vector space. The solution set itself may be constructed through the solution of an eigenvalue problem. The techniques are applied to a set of synthetic magnetotelluric values generated by conductivity variations within a layer. We find that the estimation of the conductivity and the electric field in the subsurface, based upon single-frequency magnetotelluric field values, is equivalent to a linear inverse problem. The techniques are also illustrated by an application to a magnetotelluric data set gathered at Battle Mountain, Nevada. Surface observations of the electric ( E _y ) and magnetic ( H _x ) fields are used to construct a model of subsurface electrical structure. Using techniques for algebraic equations it is shown that solutions exist, and that the set of solutions is finite. The total number of solutions is bounded above at 134 217 728. A numerical solution of the algebraic equations generates a conductivity structure in accordance with the current geological model for the area.     

A transformational approach to geophysical inverse problems

A set of coordinate transformations is used to linearize a general geophysical inverse problem. Statistical and analytic techniques are employed to estimate the parameters of such linearization transformations. In the transformed space, techniques from linear inverse theory may be utilized. Consequently, important concepts, such as model parameter covariance, model parameter resolution and averaging kernels, may be carried over to non-linear inverse problems. I apply the approach to a set of seismic cross-borehole traveltimes gathered at the Conoco Borehole Test Facility. the seismic survey was conducted within the Fort Riley formation, a limestone with thin interbedded shales. Between the boreholes, the velocity structure of the Fort Riley formation consists of a high-velocity region overlying a section of lower velocity. It is found that model parameter resolution is poorest and spatial averaging lengths are greatest in the underlying low-velocity region.     

Groups, algebras, and the non-linearity of geophysical inverse problems

Mathematical methods from the theory of continuous groups are used to determine whether a non-linear inverse problem, in the form of a functional, can be transformed into a linear inverse problem. If such transformations exist they can be constructed from the solutions of a linear system of differential equations. An illustration of the methodology is given by the linearization of the functional relating basement topography to observed surface gravity. The linearized inversion of gravity data for basement topography is applied to observations from Yucca Mountain, Nevada. A 2.0 km step in the basement to the west of Yucca Mountain, corresponding to the Bare Mountain fault, matches the Bouguer gravity anomaly. The resolution and uncertainty associated with the estimates of basement topography indicate that the structure directly beneath the gravity line is well constrained.     

Time-domain electromagnetic migration in the solution of inverse problems

Time-domain electromagnetic (TDEM) migration is based on downward extrapolation of the observed field in reverse time. In fact, the migrated EM field is the solution of the boundary-value problem for the adjoint Maxwell's equations. The important question is how this imaging technique can be related to the solution of the geoelectrical inverse problem. In this paper we introduce a new formulation of the inverse problem, based on the minimization of the residual-field energy flow through the surface or profile of observations. We demonstrate that TDEM migration can be interpreted as the first step in the solution of this specially formulated TDEM inverse problem. However, in many practical situations this first step produces a very efficient approximation to the geoelectrical model, which makes electromagnetic migration so attractive for practical applications. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in inverting synthetic and practical TDEM data.     

The continuation inverse problem revisited

The non-uniqueness of the continuation of a finite collection of harmonic potential field data to a level surface in the source-free region forces its treatment as an inverse problem. A formalism is proposed for the construction of continuation functions which are extremal by various measures. The problem is cast in such a form that the inverse problem solution is the potential function on the lowest horizontal surface above all sources, serving as the boundary function for the Dirichlet problem in the upper half-plane. The desired continuation, at the higher level of interest, must then be in the range of the upward continuation operator acting on this boundary function, rather than being allowed the full freedom of itself being part of a Dirichlet problem boundary function. Extremal solutions minimize non-linear functionals of the continuation function, which are re-expressed as different functionals of the boundary function. A crux of the method is that there is no essential distinction between the upward and downward continuation inverse problems to levels above or below data locations. Casting the optimization as a Lagrange multiplier problem leads to an integral equation for the boundary function, which is readily solved in the Fourier domain for a certain class of functionals. The desired extremal continuation is then given by upward continuation. It is found that for some functionals, application of the Lagrange multiplier theorem requires a further restriction on the set of allowable boundary functions: bandlimitedness is a natural choice for the continuation problem. With this imposition, the theory is developed in detail for semi-norm functionals penalizing departure from a constant potential, in the 2-norm and Sobelev norm senses, and illustrated by application for a small synthetic Deep Tow magnetic field data set.     

The use of partitioned matrices in geophysical inversion problems

Summary. The parameters in many geophysical inverse problems may be partitioned so as to separate them into two distinct sets. This separation might be on the grounds of physical differences between the two sets, or it might be for computational reasons. In this paper, methods for making estimates of one or other set of parameters unbiased by uncertainty in the other set are summarized. It is shown that these procedures, which are characterized by asymmetric resolution matrices, are not equivalent to the generalized inverse solution. The properties of various matrix inverses used to obtain solutions are discussed in relation to the usual least-squares and minimum-norm conditions. Finally, a new algorithm for calculating the generalized inverse, in terms of the inverses of partitions, is given.