Application of the continuous wavelet transform in the extraction of directional data on RTM imaging condition wavefields

Low-frequency artifacts in reverse time migration result from unwanted cross-correlation of the source and receiver wavefields at nonreflecting points along ray-paths. These artifacts can hide important details in migrated models and increase poor interpretation risk. Some methods have been proposed to avoid or reduce the number of these artifacts, preserving reflections, and improving model quality, implementing other strategies such as modification of the wave equation, proposing other imaging conditions, and using image filtering techniques. One of these methods uses wavefield decomposition, correlating components of the wavefields that propagate in opposite directions. We propose a method for extracting directional information from the RTM imaging condition wavefields to obtain characteristics allowing for better, more refined imaging. The method works by separating directional information about the wavefields based on the continuous wavelet transform (CWT), and the analysis of the main changes on the frequency content revealed within the scalogram obtained by a Gaussian wavelet family. Through numerical applications, we demonstrate that this method can effectively remove undesired artifacts in migrated images. In addition, we use the Laguerre-Gauss filtering to improve the results obtained with the proposed method. © 2018 Ecopetrol S.A. All Rights Reserved.