No label defined (Q4239312)

The book consists of four chapters. In the first chapter the author introduces the reader to the field of inverse problems and, more generally, to the problem of ill-posedness. Examples and historical remarks make this chapter an excellent preparation of the forthcoming, more mathematically orientated parts. Chapter 2 describes the mathematical modelling of inverse problems in terms of equations (linear or nonlinear) or extremal value problems in general normed spaces. In this functional analytic setting the notion of ill-posedness can be defined rigorously. It is pointed out, and explicitly illustrated with some examples, that this is (essentially) the lack of continuity of the inverse operator (or pseudo inverse). Starting from the classical result of Tikhonov, Section 2.3 discusses the possibility how to incorporate a-priori information to restore stability. Some interesting classes of compact sets in function spaces are introduced which contain geometric properties such as monotonicity and convexity. In Chapter 3 the author studies identification problems in Hilbert spaces. The special structure of these spaces, in particular the validity of the projection theorem and the existence of singular systems for linear compact operators allow a much more detailed analysis and a quantitative definition of the degree of ill-posedness. By linearization the local behaviour also of nonlinear equations can by described. Chapter 4 leads into the concept of regularization. Properties of the standard Tikhonov regularization method, the spectral cut-off, Landweber's iteration, and the method of asymptotic regularization are derived from a general regularization scheme. Particular examples include equations of convolution type with an application to a Cauchy problem for the heat equation and the interpretation of periodic data. A separate section studies the application of the regularization schemes to finite linear systems. This monograph is of introductory type, rather elementary and well suited to be read as a textbook (i.e., the opposite from a reference text). It differs from other introductions into the field of inverse problems mainly in the following repects: \(\bullet \) It contains concepts of inverse problems formulated by both, equations and extremal value problems. \(\bullet\) Also both, linear and nonlinear equations are treated. \(\bullet\) This book contains many nonstandard examples, also from stochastic analysis. \(\bullet\) More interesting regularizing constraints than only boundedness are studied. Although there exists already a number of monographs on mathematical aspects of inverse problems this book is, in my opinion, a very valuable contribution to the field. I only regret that it has not been published in English since it definitely deserves a wide attention to mathematicians, physicists and engineers.