Dynamic inverse wave problems—part II: operator identification and applications

Abstract

We present a framework which enables the analysis of dynamic inverse problems for wave phenomena that are modeled through second-order hyperbolic PDEs. This includes well-posedness and regularity results for the forward operator in an abstract setting, where the operators in an evolution equation represent the unknowns. We also prove Fréchet-differentiability and local ill-posedness for this problem. We then demonstrate how to apply this theory to actual problems by two example equations motivated by linear elasticity and electrodynamics. For these problems it is even possible to obtain a simple characterization of the adjoint of the Fréchet-derivative of the forward operator, which is of particular interest for the application of regularization schemes.