Kees Wapenaar

Kees Wapenaar

Emeritus Professor of Geophysics

My main research interest is acoustic, elastodynamic and electromagnetic wave theory and its applications in imaging and monitoring. Main research lines:
  • Extracting 3D reflection responses from ambient seismic noise, also known as seismic interferometry or Green's function retrieval. We introduced the 3D theory in SEG2002. Key is the generation of virtual sources at the positions of actual receivers: GP2017a. The derivation is based on Rayleigh's reciprocity theorem: GEO2006. Applications are found at exploration scale GEO2009 and beyond GRL2012. More information on the seismic interferometry research of our team can be found here.
  • 3D Virtual Seismology, also known as the Marchenko method. This research was partially funded by an ERC Advanced Grant. We introduced the concept in SEG2011. Key is the generation of virtual sources at positions where there are no actual receivers: GP2017b. The derivation is based on Rayleigh's reciprocity theorem GEO2014a, and leads to a 3D generalization of the Marchenko equation: GEO2014b. Applications are found in multiple-free seismic imaging GEO2018, internal multiple elimination GEO2019, and monitoring of virtual earthquakes in the real earth SE2019. More information on the Marchenko-method research of our team can be found here.
  • Since my virtual retirement in 2023, I have become interested in wave propagation and scattering in time-variant materials. The 1D scalar wave equation for time-variant materials follows from that for space-variant materials by interchanging space and time: WM2024. This space-time duality becomes more and more complex for 2D and 3D scalar waves RS2025, and 3D vector waves Pier2026. Potential applications are found in time-reversed focusing and Green's function retrieval in time-variant materials: JASA2026. More information on time-material and other non-standard wave-propagation research can be found here.

    My TU-Delft profile

    My schedule as emeritus:

    My coordinates:

    Section Applied Geophysics and Petrophysics

    Department of Geoscience and Engineering

    Delft University of Technology

    Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands

    map, building 23, Room π

    PO Box 5048, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands

    E-mail c.p.a.wapenaar@tudelft.nl

    Orcid ID 0000-0002-1620-8282

    News:

    Lorand Eotvos Award, EAGE, 2026 , for Best paper in Geophysical Prospecting (Multiple reflections on Huygens' principle).

    New paper in PIER on 3D EM waves in time-variant materials.

    New paper in Physical Review Research (van Manen et al.) on waves in space-time media that compute their own inverse.

    Research lines:

    Recent research: Beyond standard wave propagation

    Marchenko imaging

    Seismic interferometry

    Reciprocity and its applications

    Output:

     Theses of PhD students

    Publications

    Citation statistics

    Curriculum Vitae ("Kees History")

    Page last modified: September-2026