SRME and estimation of primaries by sparse inversion: a hybrid approach

Recently, a new approach to multiple removal has been introduced: estimation of primaries by sparse inversion (EPSI). Although based on the same relationship between primaries and multiples as in surface-related multiple elimination (SRME), it involves quite a different process. Instead of the traditional prediction and subtraction of multiples, in EPSI the unknown primaries are the parameters of a large-scale inversion process. The downside is its long calculation times, involving the equivalent of about 100-200 SRME processes. For improving the accuracy and efficiency in multiple removal a hybrid SRME+EPSI is proposed, which makes use of the strongest points of both SRME and EPSI methodologies. It appears that the final result is better than either the SRME or the EPSI algorithm alone and where the calculation time is limited to the equivalent of 10-20 SRME processes.