Numerical solution of some inverse scattering problems of geophysics (Q2639623)

The authors consider the inverse acoustic problem of finding a velocity inhomogeneity of unknown extension in a three-dimensional half space, given measurements of acoustic pressure on the free surface. By using theoretical results of the second author, they manage to reduce the problem to the solution of a linear integral equation of the first kind. They set to solve this equation numerically recognizing that it leads to a very ill-conditioned problem. By using quadratures, a regularization approach, and a trial and error method to determine the extent of the anomaly, they show in several examples the viability of the method.