Unified Green's function retrieval by cross-correlation; connection with energy principles

Multi-source wavefield reconstruction of distributed acoustic sensing data using compressive sensing and seismic interferometry

Seismic data recorded by distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) interrogator units on deployed optical fiber are being used for a variety of subsurface imaging and monitoring investigations. To reduce the costs of active-source DAS surveying applications, seismic interferometry can be applied to estimate inter-sensor wavefields from DAS records. However, recording long-term records for ambient interferometry requires considerable data storage and sections of DAS optical fibers may be unusable because of broadside sensitivity considerations from the DAS fiber orientation and due to localized coherent energy sources with amplitudes significantly larger than the ambient signal of interest. Compressive sensing, a wavefield reconstruction technique, can mitigate the problems of large data storage and unusable data. We apply compressive sensing-based multi-source wavefield reconstruction to estimate correlograms of ambient DAS records from a fiber array in Perth, Australia. The multi-source method uses all available virtual-source gathers for simultaneous wavefield reconstruction and is different from the conventional single-source method that separately reconstructs individual virtual-source gathers. Using the Fourier and curvelet transforms to sparsify interferometric wavefields, we show that multi-source reconstruction is applicable to the DAS data and that the Fourier multi-source reconstruction can improve the recovered wavefields by approximately 5-10 dB, compared to the Fourier and curvelet single-source wavefield reconstructions.

Illustration of diffusion and equipartitioning as local processes: A numerical study using the scalar radiative transfer equation

We study the transition from ballistic to diffusive to equipartitioned waves in scattering media using the acoustic radiative transfer equation. To solve this equation, we first transform it into an integral equation for the specific intensity and then construct a time stepping algorithm with which we evolve the specific intensity numerically in time. We handle the advection of energy analytically at the computational grid points and use numerical interpolation to deal with advection terms that do not lie on the grid points. This approach allows us to reduce the numerical dispersion, compared to standard numerical techniques. With this algorithm, we are able to model various initial conditions for the intensity field, non-isotropic scattering, and uniform scatterer density. We test this algorithm for an isotropic initial condition, isotropic scattering, and uniform scattering density, and find good agreement with analytical solutions. We compare our numerical solutions to known two-dimensional diffusion approximations and find good agreement. We use this algorithm to numerically investigate the transition from ballistic to diffusive to equipartitioned wave propagation over space and time, for two different initial conditions. The first one corresponds to an isotropic Gaussian distribution in space and the second one to a plane wave segment. We find that diffusion and equipartitioning must be treated as local rather than global concepts. This local behavior of equipartitioning has implications for Green's functions reconstruction, which is of interest in acoustics and seismology.

Simulation of Pressure–Velocity Correlations by Green’s Function Based on Reynolds Stress Model

Cost-effective wind energy harvesting by wind turbines in urban areas needs to strengthen the required flow field properties, such as mean velocity, turbulence, and its distribution. This paper conducts a series of CFD simulations to investigate the characteristics and related mechanisms of flow within the cavity, considering the force–turbulence interactions at the RANS scales. The pressure–velocity correlation term is formulated and solved by the elliptic relaxation equation to compensate for the Reynolds stress overestimation. Numerical simulations of flow over an open cavity with the proposed model are compared with corresponding PIV data. The results show that the mean velocity and the fluctuation velocity along the streamwise direction exist a slightly favorable pressure gradient. While the fluctuation velocity and fluctuation pressure show different correlation characteristics along the streamwise direction. Moreover, the pressure–velocity fluctuation correlation becomes obvious near the upper corner of the cavity due to the favorable pressure gradient. Hence, the leading and trailing locations of the cavity are both obvious favorable regions and further emphasis should be put on both high-accurate simulation methods and practical applications.

Correlation Technologies for Emerging Wireless Applications

In this article, we introduce correlation technologies both at RF/mmWave and baseband frequencies. At RF and mmWave frequencies, power-spectra and energy-spectra metrics are introduced for measuring the power-density of mobile devices and systems. New ASIC-embedded smart connectors are developed for bringing correlation-based signal processing close to antenna modules. At baseband frequencies, DSP-based convolutional accelerators are proposed for fast and accurate measurement of EVM (error vector magnitude) using correlation technologies. Porting of the DSP-based convolutional accelerators into advanced fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI)-based ASIC platforms for co-integration with adaptive RF/mmWave front-end modules will enable real-time extraction of auto-correlation and cross-correlation functions of stochastic signals. Perspectives for optically synchronized interferometric-correlation technologies are drawn for accurate measurements in noisy environments of stochastic EM fields using power-spectra and energy-spectra metrics. Adoption of correlation technologies will foster new paradigms relative to interactions of humans with smart devices and systems in randomly fluctuating environments. The resulting new paradigms will open new possibilities in communication theory for properly combining and reconciling information signal theory (Shannon information-based entropy) and physical information theory (statistical-physics-based entropy) into a unified framework.

Wave-field representations with Green's functions, propagator matrices, and Marchenko-type focusing functions

Classical acoustic wave-field representations consist of volume and boundary integrals, of which the integrands contain specific combinations of Green's functions, source distributions, and wave fields. Using a unified matrix-vector wave equation for different wave phenomena, these representations can be reformulated in terms of Green's matrices, source vectors, and wave-field vectors. The matrix-vector formalism also allows the formulation of representations in which propagator matrices replace the Green's matrices. These propagator matrices, in turn, can be expressed in terms of Marchenko-type focusing functions. An advantage of the representations with propagator matrices and focusing functions is that the boundary integrals in these representations are limited to a single open boundary. This makes these representations a suitable basis for developing advanced inverse scattering, imaging and monitoring methods for wave fields acquired on a single boundary.

Discrete spectral eigenmode-resonance network of brain dynamics and connectivity

The problem of finding a compact natural representation of brain dynamics and connectivity is addressed using an expansion in terms of physical spatial eigenmodes and their frequency resonances. It is demonstrated that this discrete expansion via the system transfer function enables linear and nonlinear dynamics to be analyzed in compact form in terms of natural dynamic "atoms," each of which is a frequency resonance of an eigenmode. Because these modal resonances are determined by the system dynamics, not the investigator, they are privileged over widely used phenomenological patterns, and obviate the need for artificial discretizations and thresholding in coordinate space. It is shown that modal resonances participate as nodes of a discrete spectral network, are noninteracting in the linear regime, but are linked nonlinearly by wave-wave coalescence and decay processes. The modal resonance formulation is shown to be capable of speeding numerical calculations of strongly nonlinear interactions. Recent work in brain dynamics, especially based on neural field theory (NFT) approaches, allows eigenmodes and their resonances to be estimated from data without assuming a specific brain model. This means that dynamic equations can be inferred using system identification methods from control theory, rather than being assumed, and resonances can be interpreted as control-systems data filters. The results link brain activity and connectivity with control-systems functions such as prediction and attention via gain control and can also be linked to specific NFT predictions if desired, thereby providing a convenient bridge between physiologically based theories and experiment. Amplitudes of modes and resonances can also be tracked to provide a more direct and temporally localized representation of the dynamics than correlations and covariances, which are widely used in the field. By synthesizing many different lines of research, this work provides a way to link quantitative electrophysiological and imaging measurements, connectivity, brain dynamics, and function. This underlines the need to move between coordinate and spectral representations as required. Moreover, standard theoretical-physics approaches and mathematical methods can be used in place of ad hoc statistical measures such as those based on graph theory of artificially discretized and decimated networks, which are highly prone to selection effects and artifacts.

Acoustic imaging using unknown random sources

We investigate the feasibility of imaging localized velocity contrasts within a nonattenuating acoustic medium using volume-distributed random point sources. We propose a simple, two-step processing flow that utilizes the linear sampling method to invert for the target locations directly from the recorded waveforms. We present several proof-of-concept experiments using Monte Carlo simulations to generate independent realizations of band limited "white noise" sources, which are randomly distributed in both time and space. Despite the unknown and random character of the illumination on the imaging targets, we show that it is possible to image strong velocity contrasts directly from multiply scattered coda waves in the recorded data. We benchmark the images obtained from the random-source experiments with those obtained by a standard application of the linear sampling method to analogous controlled-source experiments.

Stretching Method-Based Operational Modal Analysis of An Old Masonry Lighthouse

We present in this paper a structural health monitoring study of the Egyptian lighthouse of Rethymnon in Crete, Greece. Using structural vibration data collected on a limited number of sensors during a 3-month period, we illustrate the potential of the stretching method for monitoring variations in the natural frequencies of the structure. The stretching method compares two signals, the current that refers to the actual state of the structure, with the reference one that characterizes the structure at a reference healthy condition. For the structure under study, an 8-day time interval is used for the reference quantity while the current quantity is computed using a time window of 24 h. Our results indicate that frequency shifts of 1% can be detected with high accuracy allowing for early damage assessment. We also provide a simple numerical model that is calibrated to match the natural frequencies estimated using the stretching method. The model is used to produce possible damage scenarios that correspond to 1% shift in the first natural frequencies. Although simple in nature, this model seems to deliver a realistic response of the structure. This is shown by comparing the response at the top of the structure to the actual measurement during a small earthquake. This is a preliminary study indicating the potential of the stretching method for structural health monitoring of historical monuments. The results are very promising. Further analysis is necessary requiring the deployment of the instrumentation (possibly with additional instruments) for a longer period of time.

Data-driven linearizing approach in inverse scattering

Direct or forward wave scattering admits three classical regimes in which the map from scatterer properties or scattering potential to the data is linear, namely, the Born, Rytov, and physical optics approximations. In this paper we derive a new decomposition of the forward scattering map which reveals a previously unknown approximate bilinear forward scattering relation. The latter is data-driven, i.e., it involves exact scattering data, and has the useful property that the dependence on the data and the potential is bilinear. This fundamental result naturally leads to a new linear inverse scattering approach that generalizes and is more broadly applicable than the classical Born-approximation-based imaging. The developed scattering and inverse scattering theory are presented in both plane wave and multipole expansion representations, and the possibility of exploiting support information is also formally addressed in the multipole domain. The paper includes computer simulations illustrating the derived theory and algorithms.

A single-sided representation for the homogeneous Green's function of a unified scalar wave equation

A unified scalar wave equation is formulated, which covers three-dimensional (3D) acoustic waves, 2D horizontally-polarised shear waves, 2D transverse-electric EM waves, 2D transverse-magnetic EM waves, 3D quantum-mechanical waves and 2D flexural waves. The homogeneous Green's function of this wave equation is a combination of the causal Green's function and its time-reversal, such that their singularities at the source position cancel each other. A classical representation expresses this homogeneous Green's function as a closed boundary integral. This representation finds applications in holographic imaging, time-reversed wave propagation and Green's function retrieval by cross correlation. The main drawback of the classical representation in those applications is that it requires access to a closed boundary around the medium of interest, whereas in many practical situations the medium can be accessed from one side only. Therefore, a single-sided representation is derived for the homogeneous Green's function of the unified scalar wave equation. Like the classical representation, this single-sided representation fully accounts for multiple scattering. The single-sided representation has the same applications as the classical representation, but unlike the classical representation it is applicable in situations where the medium of interest is accessible from one side only.

Flux projection beamforming for monochromatic source localization in enclosed space

Monochromatic sound source localization becomes difficult in enclosed space. According to the reciprocity theorem, a self-consistent method of source localization in enclosed space, referred to as the flux projection beamforming, is proposed, only using the measurement of the sound pressure and normal velocity on the closed boundary at a single frequency. Its validity is examined both by experiment and simulation.

A hierarchical generalization of the acoustic reciprocity theorem involving higher-order derivatives and interaction quantities

An acoustic reciprocity theorem is generalized, for a smoothly varying perturbed medium, to a hierarchy of reciprocity theorems including higher-order derivatives of acoustic fields. The standard reciprocity theorem is the first member of the hierarchy. It is shown that the conservation of higher-order interaction quantities is related closely to higher-order derivative distributions of perturbed media. Then integral reciprocity theorems are obtained by applying Gauss's divergence theorem, which give explicit integral representations connecting higher-order interactions and higher-order derivative distributions of perturbed media. Some possible applications to an inverse problem are also discussed.

Brain palpation from physiological vibrations using MRI

We present a magnetic resonance elastography approach for tissue characterization that is inspired by seismic noise correlation and time reversal. The idea consists of extracting the elasticity from the natural shear waves in living tissues that are caused by cardiac motion, blood pulsatility, and any muscle activity. In contrast to other magnetic resonance elastography techniques, this noise-based approach is, thus, passive and broadband and does not need any synchronization with sources. The experimental demonstration is conducted in a calibrated phantom and in vivo in the brain of two healthy volunteers. Potential applications of this "brain palpation" approach for characterizing brain anomalies and diseases are foreseen.

Determination of effective brain connectivity from functional connectivity using propagator-based interferometry and neural field theory with application to the corticothalamic system

It is shown how to compute both direct and total effective connection matrices (deCMs and teCMs), which embody the strengths of neural connections between regions, from correlation-based functional CMs using propagator-based interferometry, a method that stems from geophysics and acoustics, coupled with the recent identification of deCMs and teCMs with bare and dressed propagators, respectively. The approach incorporates excitatory and inhibitory connections, multiple structures and populations, and measurement effects. The propagator is found for a generalized scalar wave equation derived from neural field theory, and expressed in terms of neural activity correlations and covariances, and wave damping rates. It is then related to correlation matrices that are commonly used to express functional and effective connectivities in the brain. The results are illustrated in analytically tractable test cases.

Measuring the effect of ambient noise directionality and split-beam processing on the convergence of the cross-correlation function

Measurements of ambient noise have been used to infer information about the ocean acoustic environment. In recent years the correlation of ambient noise has been shown to give estimates of the travel time of acoustic paths between the sensors recording the noise. A number of issues affect the results of the noise correlation. This paper presents the results of noise correlation of the two horizontally separated arrays of sensors in the 2010 ambient noise experiment. Using the experimental data, the effects on the convergence of the noise correlation are examined with respect to the size and shape of the arrays, the length of time used, and the directionality of the noise field.

Near-field effects in Green's function retrieval from cross-correlation of elastic fields: experimental study with application to elastography

In a lossless system, the causal and acausal Green's function for elastic waves can be retrieved by cross-correlating the elastic field at two positions. This field, composed of converging and diverging waves, is interpreted in the frame of a time-reversal process. In this work, the near-field effects on the spatio-temporal focusing of elastic waves are analyzed through the elastodynamic Green's function. Contrary to the scalar field case, the spatial focusing is not symmetric preserving the directivity pattern of a simple source. One important feature of the spatial asymmetry is its dependency on the Poisson ratio of the solid. Additionally, it is shown that the retrieval of the bulk wave speed values is affected by diffraction. The correction factor depends on the relative direction between the source and the observed field. Experimental verification of the analysis is carried out on the volume of a soft-solid. A low-frequency diffuse-like field is generated by random impacts at the sample's free surface. The displacement field is imaged using ultrasound by a standard speckle tracking technique. One important application of this work is in the estimation of the shear elastic modulus in soft biological tissues, whose quantification can be useful in non-invasive diagnosis of various diseases.

Generalized optical theorems for the reconstruction of Green's function of an inhomogeneous elastic medium

This paper investigates the reconstruction of elastic Green's function from the cross-correlation of waves excited by random noise in the context of scattering theory. Using a general operator equation-the resolvent formula-Green's function reconstruction is established when the noise sources satisfy an equipartition condition. In an inhomogeneous medium, the operator formalism leads to generalized forms of optical theorem involving the off-shell T-matrix of elastic waves, which describes scattering in the near-field. The role of temporal absorption in the formulation of the theorem is discussed. Previously established symmetry and reciprocity relations involving the on-shell T-matrix are recovered in the usual far-field and infinitesimal absorption limits. The theory is applied to a point scattering model for elastic waves. The T-matrix of the point scatterer incorporating all recurrent scattering loops is obtained by a regularization procedure. The physical significance of the point scatterer is discussed. In particular this model satisfies the off-shell version of the generalized optical theorem. The link between equipartition and Green's function reconstruction in a scattering medium is discussed.

Lagrangian and energy forms for retrieving the impulse response of the Earth due to random electromagnetic forcing

We distinguish between trivial and nontrivial differences in retrieving the real or imaginary parts of the Green's function. Trivial differences come from different Green's function definitions. The energy and lagrangian forms constitute nontrivial differences. Magnetic noise sources suffice to extract the quasistatic electromagnetic-field Earth impulse response in the lagrangian form. This is of interest for Earth subsurface imaging. A numerical example demonstrates that all source vector components are necessary to extract a single-field vector component.

On the two-point cross-correlation function of anisotropic, spatially homogeneous ambient noise in the ocean and its relationship to the Green's function

It is well established that the free-space Green's function can be recovered from the two-point cross-correlation function of a random noise field if the noise is white and isotropic. Ambient noise in the ocean rarely satisfies either of these conditions. However, a non-uniform spectrum could be pre-whitened by the application of a suitable filter but anisotropy cannot be so readily eliminated. To investigate the effects of vertical anisotropy, three azimuthally uniform, spatially homogeneous noise fields are analyzed, two of which are idealized, while the third is representative of ambient noise in the deep ocean. In each case, the coherence function, the cross-correlation function, and the derivative of the latter with respect to the correlation delay, are derived for vertical and horizontal alignments of the sensor pair. With vertical sensors, any step-function discontinuity in the directional density function is mapped into a delta function at an appropriate time delay in the derivative (with respect to time delay) of the cross-correlation function. No such mapping occurs with horizontal sensors. In this case, only horizontally traveling noise can generate delta functions in the derivative of the cross-correlation function, and these always appear at the retarded time on either side of the origin.

A representation for Green's function retrieval by multidimensional deconvolution

Green's function retrieval by crosscorrelation may suffer from irregularities in the source distribution, asymmetric illumination, intrinsic losses, etc. Multidimensional deconvolution (MDD) may overcome these limitations. A unified representation for Green's function retrieval by MDD is proposed. From this representation, it follows that the traditional crosscorrelation method gives a Green's function of which the source is smeared in space and time. This smearing is quantified by a space-time point-spread function (PSF), which can be retrieved from measurements at an array of receivers. MDD removes this PSF and thus deblurs and deghosts the source of the Green's function obtained by correlation.

Cancellation of spurious arrivals in Green's function retrieval of multiple scattered waves

The Green's function for wave propagation can be extracted by cross-correlating field fluctuations excited on a closed surface that surrounds the employed receivers. This study treats an acoustic multiple scattering medium with discrete scatterers and shows that for a given source the cross-correlation of waves propagating along most combinations of scattering paths gives unphysical arrivals. Because theory predicts that the true Green's function is retrieved, such unphysical arrivals must cancel after integration over all sources. This cancellation occurs because the scattering amplitude of each scatterer satisfies the generalized optical theorem. The cross-correlation of scattered waves with themselves does not lead to the correct retrieval of scattered waves, because the cross-terms between the direct and scattered waves is essential.

Source-receiver wave field interferometry

Correlation or convolution of recordings of diffuse fields at a pair of locations have been shown to result in estimates of the Green's function between the two locations. Variously referred to as wave field or seismic interferometry in different fields of research, Green's functions can thus be constructed between either pairs of receivers or pairs of energy sources. Proofs of these results rely on representation theorems. We show how to derive three acoustic and elastic representation theorems that unify existing correlational and convolutional approaches. We thus derive three forms of interferometry that provide Green's functions on source-to-receiver paths, using only energy that has propagated from surrounding sources or to surrounding receivers. The three forms correspond to three possible canonical geometries. We thus allow interferometric theory and methods to be applied to commonly used source-receiver configurations.

Retrieving the exact Green's function by wavefield crosscorrelation

Recent development on the Green's function retrieval by wavefield crosscorrelation has substantially advanced the physical research in a multidisciplinary and unprecedented fashion. However, the underlying assumption of the theory that the sources are in the far-field limits the technology to extracting only the high-frequency part of the Green's function in an open system. This critical approximation can be eliminated using the exact boundary integral equation method. A scheme involving the crosscorrelation kernel is proposed to recover the exact Green's function including all-frequency content. Symmetric difference kernels are analytically constructed for sources on a plane or on a circle and can be reduced to the known Dirac delta kernel under the far-field approximation.

Representation theorems and Green's function retrieval for scattering in acoustic media

Reciprocity theorems for perturbed acoustic media are provided in the form of convolution- and correlation-type theorems. These reciprocity relations are particularly useful in the general treatment of both forward and inverse-scattering problems. Using Green's functions to describe perturbed and unperturbed waves in two distinct wave states, representation theorems for scattered waves are derived from the reciprocity relations. While the convolution-type theorems can be manipulated to obtain scattering integrals that are analogous to the Lippmann-Schwinger equation, the correlation-type theorems can be used to retrieve the scattering response of the medium by cross correlations. Unlike previous formulations of Green's function retrieval, the extraction of scattered-wave responses by cross correlations does not require energy equipartitioning. Allowing for uneven energy radiation brings experimental advantages to the retrieval of fields scattered by remote lossless and/or attenuative scatterers. These concepts are illustrated with a number of examples, including analytic solutions to a one-dimensional scattering problem, and a numerical example in the context of seismic waves recorded on the ocean bottom.

Generalized optical theorem for surface waves and layered media

We present a generalized optical theorem for surface waves. The theorem also applies to body waves since under many circumstances body waves can be written in terms of surface-wave modal summations. This theorem therefore extends the domain of applicability of the optical theorem from homogeneous background media to a general class of body and surface-wave propagation regimes within layered elastic media.

Retrieval of Green's functions of elastic waves from thermal fluctuations of fluid-solid systems

Fluctuation-dissipation and flow reversal theorems are used to study long-range correlation of thermal phonons in a stationary heterogeneous mechanical system comprised of arbitrary inhomogeneous fluid flow and anisotropic solid. At thermal equilibrium, with an appropriate choice of physical observables to characterize thermal fluctuations within the fluid and within the solid, the general integral expression for the two-point correlation function of the fluctuations reduces to a linear combination of deterministic Green's functions, which describe wave propagation in opposite directions between the two points. It is demonstrated that the cross-correlation of thermal noise contains as much information about the environment as can be obtained in active reciprocal transmission experiments with transceivers placed at the two points. These findings suggest a possible application of ambient noise cross-correlation to passive acoustic characterization of inhomogeneous flows in fluid-solid systems in laboratory and geophysical settings.

Linearly filtered estimation of the time-domain Green's function from measurements of ambient noise

It is possible to estimate the time-domain Green's function of a channel based on measurements of ambient noise by sensors at either end of the channel. This paper presents theoretical results for the impact of filtering on this problem. These results lead to the development of two experimental rules-of-thumb. It is shown that there exists a relationship between system bandwidth and sensor separation, which determines the resolvability of the measurements. The relationship between high-pass filtering and differentiation is discussed, contributing to the debate about whether or not differentiation is required to estimate the time-domain Green's function.

Cancellation of spurious arrivals in Green's function extraction and the generalized optical theorem

The extraction of the Green's function by cross correlation of waves recorded at two receivers nowadays finds much application. We show that for an arbitrary small scatterer, the cross terms of scattered waves give an unphysical wave with an arrival time that is independent of the source position. This constitutes an apparent inconsistency because theory predicts that such spurious arrivals do not arise, after integration over a complete source aperture. This puzzling inconsistency can be resolved for an arbitrary scatterer by integrating the contribution of all sources in the stationary phase approximation to show that the stationary phase contributions to the source integral cancel the spurious arrival by virtue of the generalized optical theorem. This work constitutes an alternative derivation of this theorem. When the source aperture is incomplete, the spurious arrival is not canceled and could be misinterpreted to be part of the Green's function. We give an example of how spurious arrivals provide information about the medium complementary to that given by the direct and scattered waves; the spurious waves can thus potentially be used to better constrain the medium.

Extracting the Green's function of attenuating heterogeneous acoustic media from uncorrelated waves

The Green's function of acoustic or elastic wave propagation can, for loss-less media, be retrieved by correlating the wave field that is excited by random sources and is recorded at two locations. Here the generalization of this idea to attenuating acoustic waves in an inhomogeneous medium is addressed, and it is shown that the Green's function can be retrieved from waves that are excited throughout the volume by spatially uncorrelated injection sources with a power spectrum that is proportional to the local dissipation rate. For a finite volume, one needs both volume sources and sources at the bounding surface for the extraction of the Green's functions. For the special case of a homogeneous attenuating medium defined over a finite volume, the phase and geometrical spreading of the Green's function is correctly retrieved when the volume sources are ignored, but the attenuation is not.