Award Abstract # 0543328
Random Seismic Waves and Laboratory Ultrasonics

NSF Org: EAR
Division Of Earth Sciences
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
Initial Amendment Date: September 13, 2005
Latest Amendment Date: September 13, 2005
Award Number: 0543328
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Derek L. Schutt
EAR
 Division Of Earth Sciences
GEO
 Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date: September 15, 2005
End Date: August 31, 2006 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $30,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $30,000.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2005 = $30,000.00
History of Investigator:
  • Richard Weaver (Principal Investigator)
    r-weaver@uiuc.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
506 S WRIGHT ST
URBANA
IL  US  61801-3620
(217)333-2187
Sponsor Congressional District: 13
Primary Place of Performance: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
506 S WRIGHT ST
URBANA
IL  US  61801-3620
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
13
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): Y8CWNJRCNN91
Parent UEI: V2PHZ2CSCH63
NSF Program(s): Geophysics
Primary Program Source: app-0105 
Program Reference Code(s): 0000, 9237, OTHR
Program Element Code(s): 157400
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.050

ABSTRACT




This project supports an extended visit to the U.S. by a recent PhD who is the sole (world-wide) expert at experiments with random ultrasonic and seismic waves in the context of new "mesoscopic" theories for such waves. These theories, first developed in the ultrasonics lab at Illinois, are particularly important for earth sciences in that they imply new methods for seismic signal processing with which new information on the structure of the earth's crust could be extracted. This researcher's presence at Illinois will facilitate cross fertilization between diffuse field ultrasonics researchers and seismologists and it will accelerate the US experimental and theoretical effort on such waves.


Researchers will construct scale models of the earth and the earth's crust and conduct ultrasonic experiments on them in order to test these theories. Contrary to intuition perhaps, random wave fields (such as are found in ambient seismic noise or in the long ringing seismic coda that follows earthquakes) contain much useful information on the medium in which they propagate. In principle they contain all information which is normally obtained at great expense and inconvenience in seismology and exploration geophysics by use of explosives and "thumpers," or with no control by use of direct waves from earthquakes. This project will elucidate the limits and potential of this promising new approach for obtaining information on the earth.
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