Seismic & Acoustic Imaging

The Imaging Team conducts basic and applied research in wave propagation, seismic imaging, scattering, and the interaction of acoustic waves with rock mass structure, fabric, and pore fluids, and medical imaging. We are developing and testing a wide range of new methods for rapid modeling of seismic wave propagation and for obtaining improved seismic images of the Earth's subsurface, using seismic migration in regions of geological complexity.

For more information, visit our Next-Generation Seismic Modeling and Imaging site or contact Jim Tencate or Paul Johnson, or Lianjie Huang.

3-D Imaging & Modeling In each of our three imaging and modeling projects, we are developing new methods, implementing them on parallel computers, and investigating the range of applicability of the methods by doing tests on synthetic (numerical) and field datasets. All three projects are collaborative studies with the petroleum industry.

Above - Seismic images from model of the earth containing a salt body (SEG-EAEG salt model). Top image obtained with state-of-the-art wave-equation-based imaging developed at Los Alamos. Bottom image obtained with conventional ray-based imaging method.

3-D Imaging

We currently have two imaging projects: one is focused on investigating improvements to the standard ray-theoretical Kirchhoff-based approach; the other is focused on a class of methods that we call generalized dual-domain Fourier methods. We have demonstrated methods to obtain improved images on both the synthetic and field datasets. All three projects are collaborative studies with the petroleum industry.

3-D Modeling Our 3-D modeling project is focused on the evaluation of elastic and anisotropic wave propagation effects. Modeling results are being used to test imaging and other seismic processing methods. These methods conventionally are done with the assumption that the earth is acoustic (capable of transmitting only compressional waves).

Above - Wave snapshots from model calculations of a simple layer over halfspace structure. Top plot includes compressional waves (reds). Bottom plot includes compressional (reds) and shear waves (greens). Images courtesy of Shawn Larsen, Lawrence Livermore.