Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

My research deals with the inverse problem of seismic ray theory rooted in the theory of elasticity, and consisting of obtaining parameters characterizing the subsurface using seismological measurements. In the context of seismic ray theory, the measurements are traveltimes and polarizations of the seismic signal. A convenient experimental setup for such observations is provided by vertical seismic profiles with receivers located in the wellbores and the sources located on the surface, or with both sources and receivers located in the neighbouring wellbores. Since the described research program focuses on the mathematical underpinnings of seismic investigations and their computational implementation, the results might suggest new paths of theoretical and computational investigations, such as the investigations of complex media in reservoir characterization. The proposed project contributes to the understanding of geophysical theory and to the enhancement of evaluation, exploration and exploitation of oil and gas reservoirs, and hence to the lessening of their environmental impact. The results of the proposed research will improve the imaging of data, and, as such, can be used in other fields, notably, in medical imaging.