Search

The inverse scattering problem has numerous significant applications, including in geophysical explorations, medical imaging, and radar imaging. To achieve better performance of the imaging system, theoretical knowledge of the resolution of the algorithm is required for most of these applications. However, analytical investigations about the resolution presently feel inadequate. In order to estimate the achievable resolution, we address the point spread function (PSF) evaluation of the scattered field for a single frequency and the multi-view case both for the near and the far fields and the scalar case when the angular domain of the incident field and observation ranges is a round angle. Instead of the common free space condition, an inhomogeneous background medium, consisting of a homogeneous dielectric cylinder with a circular cross-section in free space, is assumed. In addition, since the exact evaluation of the PSF can only be accomplished numerically, an analytical approximation of the resolution is also considered. For the sake of its comparison, the truncated singular value decomposition (TSVD) algorithm can be used to implement the exact PSF. We show how the behavior of the singular values and the resolution change by varying the permittivity of the background medium. The usefulness of the theoretical discussion is demonstrated in localizing point-like scatterers within a dielectric cylinder, so mimicking a scenario that may occur in breast cancer imaging. Numerical results are provided to validate the analytical investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In linear inverse scattering, the performance of the imaging system is sometimes evaluated in terms of its resolution, i.e., its capability to reconstruct a point-like scatterer. However, there is still a lack of analytical studies on the achievable resolution. To address this, we consider the point spread function (PSF) evaluation of the scattered near field for the single frequency and multi-view/multi-static case in homogeneous medium. Instead of numerically computing the PSF, we propose and discuss an approximate closed form under series expansions according to the angular ranges of both source and receiver location. In order to assess the effectiveness of the proposed approximation, we consider two cases including both full and limited view angles for the incident field and observation ranges. In addition, we provide a localization application to show the usefulness of the theoretical discussion. Numerical results confirmed the analytical investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solution to an ill-posed linear inverse problem requires the use of regularization methods to achieve a stable approximation solution. One powerful approach is the truncated singular value decomposition (TSVD), but it requires an appropriate choice of the truncation level. One suitable option is to take into account the number of degrees of freedom (NDF) of the scattered field, which is defined by the step-like behavior of the singular values of the relevant operator. Then, the NDF can be estimated as the number of singular values preceding the knee or the exponential decay. Therefore, an analytical estimation of the NDF is significant for obtaining a stable, regularized solution. This paper addresses the analytical estimation of the NDF of the field scattered by the surface of a cube geometry for a single frequency and the multi-view case in the far-zone. In addition, a method is proposed to find the minimum numbers of plane waves and their directions to achieve the total estimated NDF. The main results are that the NDF is related to the measure of the surface of the cube and can be achieved by only considering a limited number of impinging plane waves. The efficiency of the theoretical discussion is demonstrated through a reconstruction application for microwave tomography of a dielectric object. Numerical examples are provided to confirm the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]