An Acoustic Wave-Equation Depth Migration Method Using Generalized Two-Way Phase Shift Operator for Anisotropic Media

Since subsurface structures are often anisotropic, conventional anisotropic acoustic wave-equation depth migration methods are generally limited to one-way wave equations. In contrast, two-way wave-equation depth migration (TWDM) offers superior imaging capabilities to the one-way wave migration method. This study advances seismic imaging by extending full acoustic wave-equation depth migration to vertical transversely isotropic (VTI) media. It utilizes a generalized two-way phase shift propagator and the Thomas dispersion equation to address the complexities of anisotropic media. This approach performs the generalized phase operator without lateral velocity approximation and significantly enhances subsurface imaging amplitudes due to the complete wave equation used. Numerical examples illustrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method.