f Wave Theoretic Multiple Suppression and Source Signature Estimation

Multiple suppression has a long history in exploration seismology. Although our current methods (NMO-stack, p-r and f-k filtering and modeling} are often effective there are also many cases where muttiples remain a problem. The goal of a recent wave theoretic mutliple suppression method (Weglein and Stotl, 1991, and Carvalho, Waglein and Stolt, 1991) is the suppression of multiples that are not susceptible to our current mutliple removal methods. Two categories of multiples are targeted: (1) those that satisfy the assumptions of moveout separation methods (homogeneous overburden, horizontal reflectors, and knowledge of the velocity of a primary) but are too close to a primary in moveout, and {2} those that do not satisfy one of (or a combination of) the above listed assumptions. The method we are proposing Is a nonlinear migrationinversion procedure based on the T operator of scattering theory. Each successive term in the series solution requires the same migration operation.