Source parameter inversion for wave energy focusing to a target inclusion embedded in a three‐dimensional heterogeneous halfspace

We discuss a methodology for computing the optimal spatio‐temporal characteristics of surface wave sources necessary for delivering wave energy to a targeted subsurface formation. The wave stimulation is applied to the target formation to enhance the mobility of particles trapped in its pore space. We formulate the associated wave propagation problem for three‐dimensional, heterogeneous, semi‐infinite, elastic media. We use hybrid perfectly matched layers at the truncation boundaries of the computational domain to mimic the semi‐infiniteness of the physical domain of interest. To recover the source parameters, we define an inverse source problem using the mathematical framework of constrained optimization and resolve it by employing a reduced‐space approach. We report the results of our numerical experiments attesting to the methodology's ability to specify the spatio‐temporal description of sources that maximize wave energy delivery. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.