| Abstract: | Due to non-linear effects, the swept frequency signals (sweeps) transmitted into the subsurface by vibrators are contaminated by harmonics. Upon correlation of the recorded seismograms, these harmonics lead to noise trains which are particularly disturbing in the case of down-sweeps. The method described in this paper—which can be regarded as a generalization of Sorkin's approach to the suppression of even order harmonics—allows elimination, from the final vibratory source seismogram, of harmonics of the sweep up to any desired order. It requires that not one single signal but rather a series of M signals is employed where each signal has an initial phase differing from that of the previous one of the series by the phase angle 2πM. Prior to stacking, the seismograms generated with the different signals have to be brought into the form they would have if they had been generated with the same signal. The method seems also to be capable of reducing the correlation noise if sign-bit recording techniques are used. |
