In this talk, directional frames, known as curvelets, are used to recover seismic data and images from noisy and incomplete data. Sparsity and invariance properties of curvelets are exploited to formulate the recovery by a `1-norm promoting program. It is shown that our data recovery approach is closely linked to the recent theory of “compressive sensing” and can be seen as a first step towards a nonlinear sampling theory for wavefields. The second problem that will be discussed concerns the recovery of the amplitudes of seismic images in clutter. There, the invariance of curvelets is used to approximately invert the Gramm operator of seismic imaging. In the high-frequency limit, this Gramm matrix corresponds to a pseudo-differential operator, which is near diagonal in the curvelet domain.

The removal of coherent noise generated by surface waves in land based seismic is a prerequisite to imaging the subsurface. These surface waves, termed as ground roll, overlay important reflector information in both the t-x and f-k domains. Standard techniques of ground roll removal commonly alter reflector information as a consequence of the ground roll removal. We propose the combined use of the curvelet domain as a sparsifying basis in which to perform signal separation techniques that can preserve reflector information while increasing ground roll removal. We examine two signal separation techniques, a block-coordinate relaxation method and a Bayesian separation method. The derivations and background for both methods are presented and the parameter sensitivity is examined. Both methods are shown to be effective in certain situations regarding synthetic data and erroneous surface wave predictions. The block-coordinate relaxation method is shown to have major weaknesses when dealing with seismic signal separation in the presence of noise and with the production of artifacts and reflector degradation. The Bayesian separation method is shown to improve overall separation for both seismic and real data. The Bayesian separation scheme is used on a real data set with a surface wave prediction containing reflector information. It is shown to improve the signal separation by recovering reflector information while improving the surface wave removal. The abstract contains a separate real data example where both the block-coordinate relaxation method and the Bayesian separation method are compared.

The removal of coherent noise generated by surface waves in land based seismic is a prerequisite to imaging the subsurface. These surface waves, termed as ground roll, overlay important reflector information in both the t-x and f-k domains. Standard techniques of ground roll removal commonly alter reflector information as a consequence of the ground roll removal. We propose the combined use of the curvelet domain as a sparsifying basis in which to perform signal separation techniques that can preserve reflector information while increasing ground roll removal. We examine two signal separation techniques, a block-coordinate relaxation method and a Bayesian separation method. The derivations and background for both methods are presented and the parameter sensitivity is examined. Both methods are shown to be effective in certain situations regarding synthetic data and erroneous surface wave predictions. The block-coordinate relaxation method is shown to have major weaknesses when dealing with seismic signal separation in the presence of noise and with the production of artifacts and reflector degradation. The Bayesian separation method is shown to improve overall separation for both seismic and real data. The Bayesian separation scheme is used on a real data set with a surface wave prediction containing reflector information. It is shown to improve the signal separation by recovering reflector information while improving the surface wave removal. The abstract contains a separate real data example where both the block-coordinate relaxation method and the Bayesian separation method are compared.

The removal of coherent noise generated by surface waves in land based seismic is a prerequisite to imaging the subsurface. These surface waves, termed as ground roll, overlay important reflector information in both the t-x and f-k domains. Standard techniques of ground roll removal commonly alter reflector information as a consequence of the ground roll removal. We propose the combined use of the curvelet domain as a sparsifying basis in which to perform signal separation techniques that can preserve reflector information while increasing ground roll removal. We examine two signal separation techniques, a block-coordinate relaxation method and a Bayesian separation method. The derivations and background for both methods are presented and the parameter sensitivity is examined. Both methods are shown to be effective in certain situations regarding synthetic data and erroneous surface wave predictions. The block-coordinate relaxation method is shown to have major weaknesses when dealing with seismic signal separation in the presence of noise and with the production of artifacts and reflector degradation. The Bayesian separation method is shown to improve overall separation for both seismic and real data. The Bayesian separation scheme is used on a real data set with a surface wave prediction containing reflector information. It is shown to improve the signal separation by recovering reflector information while improving the surface wave removal. The abstract contains a separate real data example where both the block-coordinate relaxation method and the Bayesian separation method are compared. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

A non-linear primary-multiple separation method using curvelets frames is presented. The advantage of this method is that curvelets arguably provide an optimal sparse representation for both primaries and multiples. As such curvelets frames are ideal candidates to separate primaries from multiples given inaccurate predictions for these two data components. The method derives its robustness regarding the presence of noise; errors in the prediction and missing data from the curvelet frame's ability (i) to represent both signal components with a limited number of multi-scale and directional basis functions; (ii) to separate the components on the basis of differences in location, orientation and scales and (iii) to minimize correlations between the coefficients of the two components. A brief sketch of the theory is provided as well as a number of examples on synthetic and real data.

Continuity along reflectors in seismic images is used via Curvelet representation to stabilize the convolution operator inversion. The Curvelet transform is a new multiscale transform that provides sparse representations for images that comprise smooth objects separated by piece-wise smooth discontinuities (e.g. seismic images). Our iterative Curvelet-regularized deconvolution algorithm combines conjugate gradient-based inversion with noise regularization performed using non-linear Curvelet coefficient thresholding. The thresholding operation enhances the sparsity of Curvelet representations. We show on a synthetic example that our algorithm provides improved resolution and continuity along reflectors as well as reduced ringing effect compared to the iterative Wiener-based deconvolution approach.

A non-linear singularity-preserving solution to the least-squares seismic imaging problem with sparseness and continuity constraints is proposed. The applied formalism explores curvelets as a directional frame that, by their sparsity on the image, and their invariance under the imaging operators, allows for a stable recovery of the amplitudes. Our method is based on the estimation of the normal operator in the form of an ’eigenvalue’ decomposition with curvelets as the ’eigenvectors’. Subsequently, we propose an inversion method that derives from estimation of the normal operator and is formulated as a convex optimization problem. Sparsity in the curvelet domain as well as continuity along the reflectors in the image domain are promoted as part of this optimization. Our method is tested with a reverse-time ’wave-equation’ migration code simulating the acoustic wave equation.

In this paper an overview is given on the application of directional basis functions, known under the name Curvelets/Contourlets, to various aspects of seismic processing and imaging, which involve adaptive subtraction. Key concepts in the approach are the use of (i) directional basis functions that localize in both domains (e.g. space and angle); (ii) non-linear estimation, which corresponds to localized muting on the coefficients, possibly supplemented by constrained optimization. We will discuss applications that include multiple, ground-roll removal and migration denoising.

A robust data interpolation method using curvelets frames is presented. The advantage of this method is that curvelets arguably provide an optimal sparse representation for solutions of wave equations with smooth coefficients. As such curvelets frames circumvent - besides the assumption of caustic-free data - the necessity to make parametric assumptions (e.g. through linear/parabolic Radon or demigration) regarding the shape of events in seismic data. A brief sketch of the theory is provided as well as a number of examples on synthetic and real data.

Predictive multiple suppression methods consist of two main steps: a prediction step, in which multiples are predicted from the seismic data, and a subtraction step, in which the predicted multiples are matched with the true multiples in the data. The last step appears crucial in practice: an incorrect adaptive subtraction method will cause multiples to be sub-optimally subtracted or primaries being distorted, or both. Therefore, we propose a new domain for separation of primaries and multiples via the Curvelet transform. This transform maps the data into almost orthogonal localized events with a directional and spatial-temporal component. The multiples are suppressed by thresholding the input data at those Curvelet components where the predicted multiples have large amplitudes. In this way the more traditional filtering of predicted multiples to fit the input data is avoided. An initial field data example shows a considerable improvement in multiple suppression.