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 2002: SEG2002. The derivation is based on Rayleigh's reciprocity theorem: GEO2003, PRL2004, GEO2006, PRL2006. Key is the generation of virtual sources at the positions of actual receivers: GEO2010, GP2017a. 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 2012: SEG2012a. SEG2012b. The derivation is based on Rayleigh's reciprocity theorem GEO2014a, and leads to a 3D generalization of the Marchenko equation: GEO2014b. Key is the generation of virtual sources at positions where there are no actual receivers: PRL2013, JASA2014, GP2017b. 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, arXiv2026. Potential applications are found in time-reversed focusing and Green's function retrieval in time-variant materials: JASA2026, arXiv2026. 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