Interferometric imaging of multiples in an RTM approach

Abstract

It is well known that reverse-time migration is capable of correctly imaging multiply scattered energy. To do this, one of the interfaces from which the waves scatter must be included in the background velocity model. In a one-way framework this requirement is avoided by iteratively forming images of higher-order scattered waves. These techniques use an image made with singly scattered waves to estimate the locations of some of the reflection points in a multiply-scattered wave, from which the location of an additional scattering point is determined through standard imaging techniques. This removes the requirement that a single multiple-generating interface be identified. Here we extend this technique to reverse-time migration using results from several recent studies linking standard and extended imaging conditions to interferometry. This results in a method to generate images with multiply-scattered waves using the full-waveform imaging techniques of reverse-time migration and the iterative imaging formulations of scattering series in a one-way framework.