Constrained least-squares spectral analysis: Application to seismic data

Abstract

An inversion-based algorithm for computing the time-frequency analysis of reflection seismograms using constrained least-squares spectral analysis is formulated and applied to modeled seismic waveforms and real seismic data. The Fourier series coefficients are computed as a function of time directly by inverting a basis of truncated sinusoidal kernels for a moving time window. The method resulted in spectra that have reduced window smearing for a given window length relative to the discrete Fourier transform irrespective of window shape, and a time-frequency analysis with a combination of time and frequency resolution that is superior to the short time Fourier transform and the continuous wavelet transform. The reduction in spectral smoothing enables better determination of the spectral characteristics of interfering reflections within a short window. The degree of resolution improvement relative to the short time Fourier transform increases as window length decreases. As compared with the continuous wavelet transform, the method has greatly improved temporal resolution, particularly at low frequencies.