Nonlinear seismic imaging via reduced order model backprojection

TL;DR

This paper presents a new nonlinear seismic imaging technique that uses model order reduction and backprojection to improve image quality by removing artifacts and estimating reflector amplitudes.

Contribution

The method introduces a nonlinear approach based on reduced order models derived from seismic data, enhancing imaging accuracy over traditional linear methods.

Findings

Removes multiple reflection artifacts effectively

Enables amplitude estimation of reflectors

Uses data-driven model order reduction

Abstract

We introduce a novel nonlinear seismic imaging method based on model order reduction. The reduced order model (ROM) is an orthogonal projection of the wave equation propagator operator on the subspace of the snapshots of the solutions of the wave equation. It can be computed entirely from the knowledge of the measured time domain seismic data. The image is a backprojection of the ROM using the subspace basis for the known smooth kinematic velocity model. The implicit orthogonalization of solution snapshots is a nonlinear procedure that differentiates our approach from the conventional linear methods (Kirchhoff, RTM). It allows for the removal of multiple reflection artifacts. It also enables us to estimate the magnitude of the reflectors similarly to the true amplitude migration algorithms.