On the Main Aspects of the Inverse Conductivity Problem

We consider a nonlinear inverse problem for an elliptic partial differential equation known as the Calder{\''o}n problem or the inverse conductivity problem. Based on several results, we briefly summarize them to motivate this research field. We give a general view of the problem by reviewing the available results for $C^2$ conductivities. After reducing the original problem to the inverse problem for a Schr\"odinger equation, we apply complex geometrical optics solutions to show its uniqueness. After extending the ideas of the uniqueness proof result, we establish a stable dependence between the conductivity and the boundary measurements. By using the Carleman estimate, we discuss the partial data problem, which deals with measurements that are taken only in a part of the boundary.     

Reconstruction of Elastic Inclusions of Small Volume via Dynamic Measurements

We consider the inverse problem of identifying locations and certain properties of the shapes of small elastic inclusions in a homogeneous background medium from dynamic boundary measurements for a finite interval in time. Using particular background solutions as weights, we present an asymptotic method based on appropriate averaging of the dynamic boundary measurements and propose non-iterative algorithms for solving our inverse problem.     

Reconstruction of Less Regular Conductivities in the Plane

Abstract

We consider the inverse conductivity problem of how to reconstruct an isotropic electric conductivity distribution in a conductive body from static electric measurements on the boundary of the body. An exact algorithm for the reconstruction of a conductivity in a planer domain from the associated Dirichlet-to-Neumann map is given. We assume that the conductivity has essentially one derivative, and hence we improve earlier reconstruction results. The method relies on a reduction of the conductivity equation to a first order system, to which the ?¯-method of inverse scattering theory can be applied.     

Sources recovery from boundary data: A model related to electroencephalography

We are concerned with an inverse problem related to sources detection from boundary data in a 2D medium with piecewise constant conductivity. It stands as a 2D version of the inverse problem of electroencephalography, where pointwise sources model epilepsy foci, with the so-called multi-layer spherical model of the head (scalp, skull, brain). When overdetermined electrical measurements (potential and current flux) are available on the scalp, one wants to recover the current sources (conductivity defaults) located in the brain (inner boundary). This recovery issue reduces to a number of inverse problems, where the sources identification process makes use of best rational approximation in the disk, whereas the preliminary cortical mapping step (Cauchy type issue) relies on best constrained harmonic or analytic approximation in an annulus (bounded extremal problems).     

Stability of inverse problems in an infinite slab with partial data

In this paper, we study the stability of two inverse boundary value problems in an infinite slab with partial data. These problems have been studied by Li and Uhlmann for the case of the Schrödinger equation and by Krupchyk, Lassas, and Uhlmann for the case of the magnetic Schrödinger equation. Here, we quantify the method of uniqueness proposed by Li and Uhlmann and prove a log–log stability estimate for the inverse problems associated to the Schrödinger equation. The boundary measurements considered in these problems are modeled by partial knowledge of the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map: in the first inverse problem, the corresponding Dirichlet and Neumann data are known on different boundary hyperplanes of the slab; in the second inverse problem, they are known on the same boundary hyperplane of the slab.     

Iterative method for solving a three-dimensional electrical impedance tomography problem in the case of piecewise constant conductivity and one measurement on the boundary

The problem of electrical impedance tomography in a bounded three-dimensional domain with a piecewise constant electrical conductivity is considered. The boundary of the inhomogeneity is assumed to be unknown. The inverse problem is to determine the surface that is the boundary of the inhomogeneity from given measurements of the potential and its normal derivative on the outer boundary of the domain. An iterative method for solving the inverse problem is proposed, and numerical results are presented.     

Partial data inverse problems for Maxwell equations via Carleman estimates

In this article we consider an inverse boundary value problem for the time-harmonic Maxwell equations. We show that the electromagnetic material parameters are determined by boundary measurements where part of the boundary data is measured on a possibly very small set. This is an extension of earlier scalar results of Bukhgeim–Uhlmann and Kenig–Sjöstrand–Uhlmann to the Maxwell system. The main contribution is to show that the Carleman estimate approach to scalar partial data inverse problems introduced in those works can be carried over to the Maxwell system.     

An Algorithm for Cavity Reconstruction in Electrical Impedance Tomography

We consider the inverse problem of finding cavities within some object from electrostatic measurements on the boundary. By a cavity we understand any object with a different electrical conductivity from the background material of the body. We give an algorithm for solving this inverse problem based on the output nonlinear least-square formulation and the regularized Newton-type iteration. In particular, we present a number of numerical results to highlight the potential and the limitations of this method.     

A noniterative reconstruction method for the inverse potential problem with partial boundary measurements

In this paper, a noniterative reconstruction method for solving the inverse potential problem is proposed. The forward problem is governed by a modified Helmholtz equation. The inverse problem consists in the reconstruction of a set of anomalies embedded into a geometrical domain from partial or total boundary measurements of the associated potential. Since the inverse problem is written in the form of an ill‐posed boundary value problem, the idea is to rewrite it as a topology optimization problem. In particular, a shape functional measuring the misfit between the solution obtained from the model and the data taken from the boundary measurements is minimized with respect to a set of ball‐shaped anomalies by using the concept of topological derivatives. It means that the shape functional is expanded asymptotically and then truncated up to the desired order term. The resulting truncated expansion is trivially minimized with respect to the parameters under consideration that leads to a noniterative second order reconstruction algorithm. As a result, the reconstruction process becomes very robust with respect to the noisy data and independent of any initial guess. Finally, some numerical experiments are presented showing the capability of the proposed method in reconstructing multiple anomalies of different sizes and shapes by taking into account complete or partial boundary measurements.     

The Calderón Problem with Partial Data for Less Smooth Conductivities

ABSTRACT

In this article we consider the inverse conductivity problem with partial data. We prove that in dimensions n ≥ 3 knowledge of the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map measured on particular subsets of the boundary determines uniquely a conductivity with essentially 3/2 derivatives.     

Three spheres inequalities for a two-dimensional elliptic system and its application

In this paper we prove three spheres inequalities for a two-dimensional strongly elliptic system. We then give an application of these three spheres inequalities to the inverse problem of identifying cavities by partial boundary measurements.     

Reconstruction of closely spaced small inhomogeneities via boundary measurements for the full time-dependent Maxwell’s equations

We consider for the full time-dependent Maxwell’s equations the inverse problem of identifying locations and certain properties of small electromagnetic inhomogeneities in a homogeneous background medium from dynamic boundary measurements on the boundary for a finite time interval.     

Reconstruction of an Impedance in Two-dimensions from Spectral Data

The two-dimensional spectral inverse problem involves the reconstruction of an unknown coefficient in an elliptic partial differential equation from spectral data, such as eigenvalues. Projection of the boundary value problem and the unknown coefficient onto appropriate vector spaces leads to a matrix inverse problem. Unique solutions of this matrix inverse problem exist provided that the eigenvalue data is close to the eigenvalues associated with the analogous constant coefficient boundary value problem. We discuss here the application of such a technique to the reconstruction of an impedance p in the boundary value problem $$ \eqalign{ -\nabla (\,p \nabla u) = \lambda p u \hbox {\quad in R} \cr u = 0 \hbox {\quad on R}}$$ where R is a rectangular domain. The matrix inverse problem, although nonstandard, is solved by a fixed-point iterative method and an impedance function p * is constructed which has the same m lowest eigenvalues as the unknown p . Numerical evidence of the success of the method will be presented.     

Inverse problem for Schrödinger equations with Yang–Mills potentials in a slab

In this work we consider the inverse boundary value problem for Schrödinger equations with Yang–Mills potentials in the domain of infinite slab type. We prove that the potentials can be determined uniquely up to a gauge equivalent class assuming that only partial measurements are known on the boundary hyperplanes.     

Retrieving the time-dependent thermal conductivity of an orthotropic rectangular conductor

The aim of this paper is to determine the thermal properties of an orthotropic planar structure characterized by the thermal conductivity tensor in the coordinate system of the main directions (Oxy) being diagonal. In particular, we consider retrieving the time-dependent thermal conductivity components of an orthotropic rectangular conductor from nonlocal overspecified heat flux conditions. Since only boundary measurements are considered, this inverse formulation belongs to the desirable approach of non-destructive testing of materials. The unique solvability of this inverse coefficient problem is proved based on the Schauder fixed point theorem and the theory of Volterra integral equations of the second kind. Furthermore, the numerical reconstruction based on a nonlinear least-squares minimization is performed using the MATLAB optimization toolbox routine lsqnonlin. Numerical results are presented and discussed in order to illustrate the performance of the inversion for orthotropic parameter identification.     

MHD power-law fluid flow and heat transfer over a non-isothermal stretching sheet

This article presents a numerical solution for the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) non-Newtonian power-law fluid flow over a semi-infinite non-isothermal stretching sheet with internal heat generation/absorption. The flow is caused by linear stretching of a sheet from an impermeable wall. Thermal conductivity is assumed to vary linearly with temperature. The governing partial differential equations of momentum and energy are converted into ordinary differential equations by using a classical similarity transformation along with appropriate boundary conditions. The intricate coupled non-linear boundary value problem has been solved by Keller box method. It is important to note that the momentum and thermal boundary layer thickness decrease with increase in the power-law index in presence/absence of variable thermal conductivity.     

Regularized Newton iteration method for a penetrable cavity with internal measurements in inverse scattering problem

In this paper, we consider the inverse scattering problem of determining the shape of a cavity with a penetrable inhomogeneous medium of compact support from one source and a knowledge of measurements placed on a curve inside the cavity. First, the boundary value problem of the partial differential equations can be transformed into an equivalent system of nonlinear and ill-posed integral equations for the unknown boundary. Then, we apply the regularized Newton iterative method to reconstruct the boundary and prove the injectivity for the linearized system. Finally, we present some numerical examples to show the feasibility of our method.     

Simulating the heart’s electric activity: Numericalmethods for inverse problems

For a two-dimensional modified FitzHugh–Nagumo mathematical model, the inverse problem is considered to find a coefficient of the system of partial differential equations, depending on spatial variables. Additional dynamic measuring of the potential is done throughout the inner boundary of the domain. A numerical way of solving the specified inverse problem is proposed and the results from numerical experiments are presented.     

Stability properties of an inverse parabolic problem with unknown boundaries

We treat the stability issue for an inverse problem arising from non-destructive evaluation by thermal imaging. We consider the determination of an unknown portion of the boundary of a thermic conducting body by overdetermined boundary data for a parabolic initial-boundary value problem. We obtain that when the unknown part of the boundary is a priori known to be smooth, the data are as regular as possible and all possible measurements are taken into account, the problem is exponentially ill-posed. Then, we prove that a single measurement with some a priori information on the unknown part of the boundary and minimal assumptions on the data, in particular on the thermal conductivity, is enough to have stable determination of the unknown boundary. Given the exponential ill-posedness, the stability estimate obtained is optimal. AMS 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 35R30, Secondary 35B60, 33C90     

Elastostatic inverse formulation

In this paper an inverse method for solving elastostatic problems with incomplete boundary conditions is presented. In general, inverse problems are ill-posed boundary value problems whose stability and uniqueness of solution and sensitivity-based formulations require additional constraints. In the development we use the Betti-reciprocal theorem to represent the boundary traction field in terms of the boundary and field displacements in an integral form. Initially, we assume the unknown boundary conditions and deformations required to solve the problem. In this way we equate the work done by the exact solution (unknown) to the work done by an assumed solution. Discretizing the resulting equations and using an iterative procedure each step in the solution process becomes the solution to a well-posed problem. Thus, with sufficient perturbations the correct boundary conditions are reconstructed.