Discrete methods in the study of an inverse problem for Laplace's equation (Q4238734)

This paper deals with an inverse problem arising in corrosion detection. Let \(\Omega\) be a metallic body with constant conductivity. A protion \(\Gamma_2\) of its boundary \(\partial\Omega\) is referred to as inaccessible. In order to detect the occurrence on \(\Gamma_2\) of damage due to corrosion, we get information from electrostatic data (current flux and potential) on \(\Gamma_1\), the accessible portion of \(\partial\Omega\). Laplace's equation holds inside \(\Omega\). The mathematical model under investigation can be described as follows. Let \(u\) be harmonic in the interior of a rectangle \(\Omega\) and satisfy the third-kind boundary condition \(u_n+\gamma u= \Phi\), where \(\Phi\geq 0\), \(\gamma\geq 0\) with supports included in the bottom and in the top side of \(\Omega\), respectively. Recovering \(\gamma\) from a knowledge of \(\Phi\) and of the trace of \(u\) on the bottom of \(\Omega\) is a nonlinear inverse problem of interest in the field of nondestructive evaluation. Here, the amplitude of \(\gamma(x)\) is related to the corrosion rate at the point \(x\). A convergent Galerkin method for approximating \(\gamma\) is proposed and tested in numerical experiments.