Multifrequency inverse obstacle scattering: the point source method and generalized filtered backprojection (Q1877735)

The author describes two methods for obstacle reconstruction from multifrequency far-field scattering data, the first built upon the point source method proposed by \textit{R. Potthast} [Inverse Probl. 12, No. 5, 731--742 (1996; Zbl 0870.35126)] for solving inverse scattering problems with single frequency data in the resonance region, and the second based on filtered backprojection techniques using the physical optics approximation for high frequency scattering. The multifrequency aspect of his study is not specific to the point source method, but serves to underscore the power of this essentially nonlinear technique in comparison with much simpler and coarse filtered backprojection based on the physical optics approximation. His implementation using the point source method can be viewed as a generalized filtered backprojection algorithm, the key to which is the construction of the filter used in the backprojection operator. Numerical examples illustrate that the critical factor for reconstructions in multifrequency settings is the frequency dependence of the filter.