Eric Larose

Postseismic relaxation along the San Andreas fault at Parkfield from continuous seismological observations.

Seismic velocity changes and nonvolcanic tremor activity in the Parkfield area in California reveal that large earthquakes induce long-term perturbations of crustal properties in the San Andreas fault zone. The 2003 San Simeon and 2004 Parkfield earthquakes both reduced seismic velocities that were measured from correlations of the ambient seismic noise and induced an increased nonvolcanic tremor activity along the San Andreas fault. After the Parkfield earthquake, velocity reduction and nonvolcanic tremor activity remained elevated for more than 3 years and decayed over time, similarly to afterslip derived from GPS (Global Positioning System) measurements. These observations suggest that the seismic velocity changes are related to co-seismic damage in the shallow layers and to deep co-seismic stress change and postseismic stress relaxation within the San Andreas fault zone.

Recovering the Green’s function from field-field correlations in an open scattering medium (L)

The possibility of recovering the Green’s function from the field-field correlations of coda waves in an open multiple scattering medium is investigated. The argument is based on fundamental symmetries of reciprocity, time-reversal invariance, and the Helmholtz–Kirchhoff theorem. A criterion is defined, indicating how sources should be placed inside an open medium in order to recover the Green’s function between two passive receivers. The case of noise sources is also discussed. Numerical experiments of ultrasonic wave propagation in a multiple scattering medium are presented to support the argument.The possibility of recovering the Green’s function from the field-field correlations of coda waves in an open multiple scattering medium is investigated. The argument is based on fundamental symmetries of reciprocity, time-reversal invariance, and the Helmholtz–Kirchhoff theorem. A criterion is defined, indicating how sources should be placed inside an open medium in order to recover the Green’s function between two passive receivers. The case of noise sources is also discussed. Numerical experiments of ultrasonic wave propagation in a multiple scattering medium are presented to support the argument.

How to estimate the Green’s function of a heterogeneous medium between two passive sensors? Application to acoustic waves

The exact Green’s function of a heterogeneous medium can be retrieved from the crosscorrelation of the fields received by two passive sensors. We propose a physical interpretation based on time-reversal symmetry. We address the issue of causality and show the role of multiple scattering for the reconstruction of the Green’s function. Ultrasonic experimental results are presented to illustrate the argument. Applications to geophysics and ocean acoustics are discussed.

Correlation of random wavefields: An interdisciplinary review

This paper presents an interdisciplinary review of the correlation properties of random wavefields. We expose several important theoretical results of various fields, ranging from time reversal in acoustics to transport theory in condensed matter physics. Using numerical simulations, we introduce the correlation process in an intuitive manner.We establish a fruitful mapping between time reversal and correlation, which enables us to transpose many known results from acoustics to seismology. We show that the multiple-scattering formalism developed in condensed matter physics provides a rigorous basis to analyze the field correlations in disordered media. We discuss extensively the various factors controllingandaffectingtheretrievaloftheGreen’sfunction of a complex medium from the correlation of either noise or coda.Acousticimagingofcomplexsamplesinthelaboratory and seismic tomography of geologic structures give a glimpse of the promising wide range of applications of the correlationmethod.

Stability of monitoring weak changes in multiply scattering media with ambient noise correlation: Laboratory experiments

Previous studies have shown that small changes can be monitored in a scattering medium by observing phase shifts in the coda. Passive monitoring of weak changes through ambient noise correlation has already been applied to seismology, acoustics, and engineering. Usually, this is done under the assumption that a properly reconstructed Green function (GF), as well as stable background noise sources, is necessary. In order to further develop this monitoring technique, a laboratory experiment was performed in the 2.5 MHz range in a gel with scattering inclusions, comparing an active (pulse-echo) form of monitoring to a passive (correlation) one. Present results show that temperature changes in the medium can be observed even if the GF of the medium is not reconstructed. Moreover, this article establishes that the GF reconstruction in the correlations is not a necessary condition: The only condition to monitoring with correlation (passive experiment) is the relative stability of the background noise structure.

Imaging from one-bit correlations of wideband diffuse wave fields

We present an imaging technique based on correlations of a multiply scattered wave field. Usually the Green’s function hAB between two points (A,B) is determined by direct transmit/receive measurement. When this is impossible, one can exploit an other idea: if A and B are both passive sensors, hAB can be retrieved from the cross correlation of the fields received in A and B, the wave field being generated either by deterministic sources or by random noise. The validity of the technique is supported by a physical argument based on time-reversal invariance. Though the principle is applicable to all kinds of waves, it is illustrated here by experiments performed with ultrasound in the MHz range. A short ultrasonic pulse, sent through a highly scattering slab, generates a randomly scattered field. Behind the slab is the medium to image: it consists of four liquid layers with different sound speeds. The cross correlation of the field received on passive sensors located within the medium is used to estimate the...

Locating a small change in a multiple scattering environment

This article presents an imaging technique to locate a weak perturbation in a multiple scattering environment. We derive a formula to predict the spatiotemporal decorrelation of diffuse coda waves induced by an extra scatterer. Locating this new defect is formulated as an inverse problem which is solved by a maximum likelihood approach. Using elastic waves in the 50–400 kHz frequency band, we recover the position of a millimetric hole drilled in a concrete sample with a precision of a few centimeter. Note that the size of the defect is comparable to the size of the myriads of heterogeneities constituting the sample.

Monitoring stress related velocity variation in concrete with a 2×10−5 relative resolution using diffuse ultrasound

Ultrasonic waves propagating in solids have stress-dependent velocities. The relation between stress (or strain) and velocity forms the basis of non-linear acoustics. In homogeneous solids, conventional time-of-flight techniques have measured this dependence with spectacular precision. In heterogeneous media such as concrete, the direct (ballistic) wave around 500 kHz is strongly attenuated and conventional techniques are less efficient. In this manuscript, the effect of weak stress changes on the late arrivals constituting the acoustic diffuse coda is tracked. A resolution of 2 x 10(-5) in relative velocity change is attained which corresponds to a sensitivity to stress change of better than 50 kPa. Therefore, the technique described here provides an original way to measure the non-linear parameter with stress variations on the order of tens of kPa.

Reconstruction of Rayleigh‐Lamb dispersion spectrum based on noise obtained from an air‐jet forcing

The time-domain cross correlation of incoherent and random noise recorded by a series of passive sensors contains the impulse response of the medium between these sensors. By using noise generated by a can of compressed air sprayed on the surface of a plexiglass plate, we are able to reconstruct not only the time of flight but the whole wave forms between the sensors. From the reconstruction of the direct A(0) and S(0) waves, we derive the dispersion curves of the flexural waves, thus estimating the mechanical properties of the material without a conventional electromechanical source. The dense array of receivers employed here allow a precise frequency-wavenumber study of flexural waves, along with a thorough evaluation of the rate of convergence of the correlation with respect to the record length, the frequency, and the distance between the receivers. The reconstruction of the actual amplitude and attenuation of the impulse response is also addressed in this paper.

On the precision of noise correlation interferometry

SUMMARY Long duration noisy-looking waveforms such as those obtained in randomly multiply scattering and reverberant media are complex; they resist direct interpretation. Nevertheless, such waveforms are sensitive to small changes in the source of the waves or in the medium in which they propagate. Monitoring such waveforms, whether obtained directly or obtained indirectly by noise correlation, is emer ging as a technique for detecting changes in media. Interpretation of changes is in principle problematic; it is not always clear whether a change is due to sources or to the medium. Of particular interest is the detection of small changes in propagation speeds. An expression is derived here for the apparent, but illusory, waveform dilation due to a change of source. The expression permits changes in waveforms due to changes in wavespeed to be distinguished with high precision from changes due to other reasons. The theory is successfully compared with analysis of a laboratory ultrasonic data set and a seismic da ta set from Parkfield California.