A new stabilized least-squares imaging condition

Abstract

The classical deconvolution imaging condition consists of dividing the upgoing wave field by the downgoing wave field and summing over all frequencies and sources. The least-squares imaging condition consists of summing the cross-correlation of the upgoing and downgoing wave fields over all frequencies and sources, and dividing the result by the total energy of the downgoing wave field. This procedure is more stable than using the classical imaging condition, but it still requires stabilization in zones where the energy of the downgoing wave field is small. To stabilize the least-squares imaging condition, the energy of the downgoing wave field is replaced by its average value computed in a horizontal plane in poorly illuminated regions. Applications to the Marmousi and Sigsbee2A data sets show that the stabilized least-squares imaging condition produces better images than the least-squares and cross-correlation imaging conditions.