Fingerprinting ordered diffractions in multiply diffracted waves

Abstract

We show how to 'fingerprint' individual diffractors inside an acoustic medium using interrogative wave energy from arrays of sources and receivers. For any recorded multiply diffracted wave observed between any source and any receiver, the set of such fingerprints is sufficient information to identify all diffractors involved in the corresponding diffraction path, and the sequential order in which diffractors are encountered. The method herein thus decomposes complex, multiply diffracted wavefields into constituent, single-diffraction interactions. © The Authors 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Royal Astronomical Society.