Diffraction traveltime approximation for TI media with an inhomogeneous background

Diffractions in seismic data contain valuable information that can help improve our modeling capability for better imaging of the subsurface. They are especially useful for anisotropic media because they inherently possess a wide range of dips necessary to resolve the angular dependence of velocity. We develop a scheme for diffraction traveltime computations based on perturbation of the anellipticity anisotropy parameter for transversely isotropic media with tilted axis of symmetry (TTI). The expansion, therefore, uses an elliptically anisotropic medium with tilt as the background model. This formulation has advantages on two fronts: first, it alleviates the computational complexity associated with solving the TTI eikonal equation, and second, it provides a mechanism to scan for the best-fitting anellipticity parameter η without the need for repetitive modeling of traveltimes, because the traveltime coefficients of the expansion are independent of the perturbed parameter η. The accuracy of such an expansion is further enhanced by the use of Shanks transform. We established the effectiveness of the proposed formulation with tests on a homogeneous TTI model and complex media such as the Marmousi and BP models.