Allgemeines Physikalisches Kolloquium im Wintersemester 2012/2013
Ort:     48149 Münster, Wilhelm-Klemm-Str. 10, IG I, HS 2,
Zeit:    Donnerstag, 18.10.2012 16:00 Uhr c.t.
Kolloquiums-Kaffee ab 15:45 Uhr vor dem Hörsaal

Scanning the Earth - A survey of recent advances in seismic tomography
Dr. Andreas Fichtner, Utrecht University, Niederlande

Seismic tomography ist our primary source of information on the current state and evolution of the Earth's interior from the local to the global scale. Over the past decades, it has drawn the picture of a vigorously convecting planet, with broad up- and down-wellings imaged by seismic velocity variations.

The rapid development of high performance computing opens new perspectives for seismic tomography. Using advanced numerical techniques on massive supercomputers, we can simulate the propagation of seismic waves through 3D heterogenous Earth models with unprecedented accuracy. These modelling capabilities have led to the development of full waveform tomography - a variant of seismic tomography that exploits as much information from seismograms as possible in order to achieve maximum resolution. Full waveform tomography is in the process of providing a strike-slip faults and complex 3D crustal structure that could not be imaged before.

In this talk, I will review the principles and objectives of seismic tomography. This will be followed by an overview of recent developments that are largely related to high-performance computing and numerical wave propagation. These developments have found applications far outside seismology, e.g. in medical imaging, mine detection or non-destructive testing.

Einladender: Prof. Dr. Christine Thomas

Im Auftrag der Hochschullehrer des Fachbereichs Physik

Prof. Dr. Nikos Doltsinis