Forward and inverse problems for hyperbolic, elliptic, and mixed type equations (Q2497225)

In this monograph direct and inverse problems for partial differential equations are considered. The type of the equations may be hyperbolic, elliptic and mixed (elliptic-hyperbolic). The direct problems arise as generalization of problems of scattering plane elastic or acoustic waves from an inhomogeneous layer (or from the half-space). The inverse problems are the determination of the medium parameters from given incident and reflected waves or vibrations of certain points of the medium. The research method is spectral-analytical. It consists in reducing the considered inverse problems to the known inverse Sturm-Liouville problem [see, for example, \textit{B. M. Levitan}, A new approach to the inverse Sturm-Liouville problem. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. Lect. Notes Phys. 427, 14--29 (1994; Zbl 0797.34010)] or to the problems for the string equation. Uniquness theorems for the inverse problems are proved and a numerical algorithm is obtained. Besides, discretized inverse problems are considered. In the problems an arbitrary set of point sources (emissive sources, oscillators, point masses) has to be determined. The desired parameters are: the form of the impulse (in the nonstationary case), the amplitude, phase, frequency (in the stationary case), the masses (in the static case) of sources. In all the cases the coordinates of sources and their number, which may be arbitrary large must be found. Some possible applications of the theoretical results are also discussed.