The Factorization Method for Real Elliptic Problems

Abstract

The Factorization Method localizes inclusions inside a body from mea- surements on its surface. Without a priori knowing the physical parameters inside the inclusions, the points belonging to them can be characterized using the range of an auxiliary operator. The method relies on a range characterization that relates the range of the auxiliary operator to the measurements and is only known for very particular applications. In this work we develop a general framework for the method by considering sym- metric and coercive operators between abstract Hilbert spaces. We show that the important range characterization holds if the difference between the inclusions and the background medium satisfies a coerciveness condition which can immediately be translated into a condition on the coefficients of a given realelliptic problem. We demonstrate how several known applications of the Factorization Method are covered by our general results and deduce the range characterization for a new example in linear elasticity.