An inverse dipole source problem in inhomogeneous media: application to the EEG source localization in neonates (Q2422506)

The authors present a mathematical and numerical study of an inverse source problem of an elliptic partial differential equation. The coefficients of the equation can be piecewise smooth functions. The dipolar sources and their moments are reconstructed from total or partial Dirichlet boundary measurements. A uniqueness result is established for dipolar sources and their number. The inverse problem is formulated using a measurement operator, and identifiability of the number, position, and moment of the source is proved. In the case when the number of sources is known, the measurement operator is shown to be Fréchet differentiable, and the properties of its derivative allow to prove a global stability result. The inverse problem can be written as a minimisation problem. This allows to develop an efficient numerical identification method. Some numerical tests are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the approach and a discussion is given on electroencephalography (EEG) in neonates.