Efficient surface-aware ray tracing based on implicit model representation

We propose a novel surface-aware ray tracing method based on implicit model representation. Each horizon is represented by a signed distance field and the spatial relationships between horizons are described by a stratigraphic binary tree. With this kind of implicit representation, complex structural model (e.g., heavily faulted, intrusions and unconformities) are easily handled, and the velocity discontinuities across interfaces can be represented accurately. Moreover, the ray-intersection with the interfaces can be accomplished very efficiently because only finite number of local computations is involved. The proposed method has many potential applications such as ray-based seismic modeling, ray-based seismic migration and tomographic migration velocity analysis, etc.