MIGRATION BY FOURIER TRANSFORM

Wave equation migration is known to be simpler in principle when the horizontal coordinate or coordinates are replaced by their Fourier conjugates. Two practical migration schemes utilizing this concept are developed in this paper. One scheme extends the Claerbout finite difference method, greatly reducing dispersion problems usually associated with this method at higher dips and frequencies. The second scheme effects a Fourier transform in both space and time; by using the full scalar wave equation in the conjugate space, the method eliminates (up to the aliasing frequency) dispersion altogether. The second method in particular appears adaptable to three‐dimensional migration and migration before stack.