Abstract: We present the first application of full-waveform ambient noise inversion to observed correlation functions that jointly constrains 3-D Earth structure and heterogeneous noise sources. For this, we model and interpret ambient noise correlations as recordings of correlation wavefields, which completely eliminates the limiting assumptions of Green's function retrieval, such as equipartitioning and homogeneous random noise sources. Our method accounts for seismic wave propagation physics in 3-D heterogeneous and attenuating media and also for the heterogeneous and nonstationary nature of the ambient noise field. Designed as a proof of concept, the study considers long periods from 100 to 300 s, thus focusing on the Earth's hum. Treating correlations as self-consistent observables allows us to make separate measurements on the causal and acausal branches of correlation functions, without any need to choose one of them or form the average. We validate our approach by assessing the quality of the obtained models and by comparing them to previous studies. This work is a step toward the establishment of full-waveform ambient noise inversion as a tomographic technique with the goal to go beyond ambient noise tomography based on Green's function retrieval.

Abstract: We present observations of significant fundamental spheroidal-toroidal mode coupling at frequencies below 4 mHz in the early part of vertical component records from seismic stations on near-equatorial source-receiver propagation paths after the 26 December 2004 and 28 March 2005 great Sumatra earthquakes. Since the mixed-type coupling induced by rotational Coriolis force are very weak at these selected equatorial-path stations, we investigate what effects mimic the strong Coriolis effects at frequencies below 4 mHz, suggesting that local azimuthal anisotropy in the upper mantle is the most likely explanation for the strong anomalous coupling we observed. In addition, strong anisotropy coupling observed in the frequency band of 14 mHz is always characterized by anomalous small amplitudes of coupled spheroidal modes on the vertical component of seismograph, suggesting that excitation of quasi-toroidal modes by azimuthal anisotropy associates with geometric nodes of fundamental spheroidal modes.

Abstract: We present here observations of the polarisation of four auroral lines in the auroral oval and in the polar cusp using a new ground polarimeter called Petit Cru. Our results confirm the already known polarisation of the red line, and show for the first time that the three other lines observed here (namely 557.7 nm, 391.4 nm and 427.8 nm) are polarised as well up to a few percent. We show that in several circumstances, this polarisation is linked to the local magnetic activity and to the state of the ionosphere through the electron density measured with EISCAT. However, we also show that the contribution of light pollution from nearby cities via scattering can not be ignored and can play an important role in polarisation measurements. This series of observations questions the geophysical origin of the polarisation. It also leaves open its relation to the magnetic field orientation and to the state of both the upper atmosphere and the troposphere.

Abstract: We present FLEXWIN, an open source algorithm for the automated selection of time windows on pairs of observed and synthetic seismograms. The algorithm was designed specifically to accommodate synthetic seismograms produced from 3-D wavefield simulations, which capture complex phases that do not necessarily exist in 1-D simulations or traditional traveltime curves. Relying on signal processing tools and several user-tuned parameters, the algorithm is able to include these new phases and to maximize the number of measurements made on each seismic record, while avoiding seismic noise. Our motivation is to use the algorithm for iterative tomographic inversions, in which the synthetic seismograms change from one iteration to the next. Hence, automation is needed to handle the volume of measurements and to allow for an increasing number of windows at each model iteration. The algorithm is sufficiently flexible to be adapted to many tomographic applications and seismological scenarios, including those based on synthetics generated from 1-D models. We illustrate the algorithm using data sets from three distinct regions: the entire globe, the Japan subduction zone, and southern California.