Numerical analysis of an inverse problem for the eikonal equation (Q644773)

The inverse problem for the eikonal equation is considered. The aim is to determine the speed function using observations of the arrival time on a fixed surface. This is formulated as an optimal control problem for a quadratic functional with the state equation being the eikonal equation coupled to the so-called Soner boundary condition. Such a problem has been studied numerically in the context of tomography. Finite difference approximations have been used for the eikonal equation and fast sweeping methods for solving the state equation and the adjoint one. The authors present the corresponding numerical analysis. The existence and uniqueness of the discrete solution is demonstrated and an \(O(h^{1/2})\) error bound is established, where \(h>0\) is the discretization parameter. They assert that this bound appears to be new for a Hamilton-Jacobi equation coupled to the Soner boundary condition. Very interesting numerical tests are presented.