The algorithm of plane wave synthesis (PWS) imaging is described in two steps; the synthesizing and the imaging. First a wavefront is synthesized by means of wave stack and then the imaging of the synthesized stack is performed like the conventional shot profile imaging.
The plane-wave synthesis along an irregular reflector can be achieved by means of wavefield datuming algorithm and will provide a fundamental framework for tomographic velocity estimation explained in chapter 4. A common-incidence angle image section can be obtained by means of image patching after subsurface-oriented PWS imaging. It provides a useful framework for the angle-dependent reflectivity recovery explained in chapter 5.