Open AccessResolution limit of traveltime tomography
Author(s) -
Dahlen F. A.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
geophysical journal international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.302
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1365-246X
pISSN - 0956-540X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-246x.2004.02214.x
Subject(s) - slowness , cube root , amplitude , seismic tomography , wavefront , diffraction , geology , seismology , tomography , geodesy , cube (algebra) , limit (mathematics) , seismic wave , mathematical analysis , mathematics , physics , optics , geometry
SUMMARY We derive an explicit formula relating a recovered 3‐D seismic slowness image to the actual seismic slowness under the assumption that a tomographically complete collection of finite‐frequency traveltime shifts is inverted using linearized ray theory. The tomographically recovered image is blunted, or diminished in amplitude, and blurred, or spread laterally, as a result of wave front healing and other finite‐frequency diffraction effects. The 1‐D spreading varies as the cube root of the amplitude reduction, so that total volume‐integrated slowness is conserved.