Nonlinear interaction of plane elastic waves

The paper presents basic first order results of nonlinear elastic theory by Murnaghan for elastic wave propagation in isotropic solids. The authors especially address the problem of resonant scattering of two collimated beams and present analytical solutions for amplitudes of all possible types of resonant interactions for elastic plane waves. For estimation of nonlinear scattered waves they use measured elastic parameters for sandstone. The most profound nonlinear effect is expected for interactions of two SH waves generating compressional P wave at sum frequency. Estimations show that nonlinear phenomena is likely to be observed in seismic data. Basic equations of nonlinear five-constant theory by Murnaghan are also presented

Phased array compaction cell for measurement of the transversely isotropic elastic properties of compacting sediments

Sediments undergoing compaction typically exhibit transversely isotropic (TI) elastic properties. We present a new experimental apparatus, the phased array compaction cell, for measuring the TI elastic properties of clay-rich sediments during compaction. This apparatus uses matched sets of P- and S-wave ultrasonic transducers located along the sides of the sample and an ultrasonic P-wave phased array source, together with a miniature P-wave receiver on the top and bottom ends of the sample. The phased array measurements are used to form plane P-waves that provide estimates of the phase velocities over a range of angles. From these measurements, the five TI elastic constants can be recovered as the sediment is compacted, without the need for sample unloading, recoring, or reorienting. This paper provides descriptions of the apparatus, the data processing, and an application demonstrating recovery of the evolving TI properties of a compacting marine sediment sample

Exploring flavor structure of supersymmetry breaking from rare B decays and unitarity triangle

We study effects of supersymmetric particles in various rare B decay processes as well as in the unitarity triangle analysis. We consider three different supersymmetric models, the minimal supergravity, SU(5) SUSY GUT with right-handed neutrinos, and the minimal supersymmetric standard model with U(2) flavor symmetry. In the SU(5) SUSY GUT with right-handed neutrinos, we consider two cases of the mass matrix of the right-handed neutrinos. We calculate direct and mixing-induced CP asymmetries in the b to s gamma decay and CP asymmetry in B_d to phi K_S as well as the B_s--anti-B_s mixing amplitude for the unitarity triangle analysis in these models. We show that large deviations are possible for the SU(5) SUSY GUT and the U(2) model. The pattern and correlations of deviations from the standard model will be useful to discriminate the different SUSY models in future B experiments.Comment: revtex4, 36 pages, 10 figure

Natural fracture characterization using passive seismic illumination

The presence of natural fractures in reservoir rock can significantly enhance gas production, especially in tight gas formations. Any general knowledge of the existence, location, orientation, spatial density, and connectivity of natural fractures, as well as general reservoir structure, that can be obtained prior to active seismic acquisition and drilling can be exploited to identify key areas for subsequent higher resolution active seismic imaging. Current practices for estimating fracture properties before the acquisition of surface seismic data are usually based on the assumed geology and tectonics of the region, and empirical or fracture mechanics-based relationships between stratigraphic curvature and fracturing. The objective of this research is to investigate the potential of multicomponent surface sensor arrays, and passive seismic sources in the form of local earthquakes to identify and characterize potential fractured gas reservoirs located near seismically active regions. To assess the feasibility of passive seismic fracture detection and characterization, we have developed numerical codes for modeling elastic wave propagation in reservoir structures containing multiple, finite-length fractures. This article describes our efforts to determine the conditions for favorable excitation of fracture converted waves, and to develop an imaging method that can be used to locate and characterize fractures using multicomponent, passive seismic data recorded on a surface array

Natural fracture characterization using passive seismic illumination

The presence of natural fractures in reservoir rock can significantly enhance gas production, especially in tight gas formations. Any general knowledge of the existence, location, orientation, spatial density, and connectivity of natural fractures, as well as general reservoir structure, that can be obtained prior to active seismic acquisition and drilling can be exploited to identify key areas for subsequent higher resolution active seismic imaging. Current practices for estimating fracture properties before the acquisition of surface seismic data are usually based on the assumed geology and tectonics of the region, and empirical or fracture mechanics-based relationships between stratigraphic curvature and fracturing. The objective of this research is to investigate the potential of multicomponent surface sensor arrays, and passive seismic sources in the form of local earthquakes to identify and characterize potential fractured gas reservoirs located near seismically active regions. To assess the feasibility of passive seismic fracture detection and characterization, we have developed numerical codes for modeling elastic wave propagation in reservoir structures containing multiple, finite-length fractures. This article describes our efforts to determine the conditions for favorable excitation of fracture converted waves, and to develop an imaging method that can be used to locate and characterize fractures using multicomponent, passive seismic data recorded on a surface array

Fracture imaging with converted elastic waves

This paper examines the seismic signatures of discrete, finite-length fractures, and outlines an approach for elastic, prestack reverse-time imaging of discrete fractures. The results of this study highlight the importance of incorporating fracture-generated P-S converted waves into the imaging method, and presents an alternate imaging condition that can be used in elastic reverse-time imaging when a direct wave is recorded (e.g., for crosswell and VSP acquisition geometries)