Two numerical methods for an inverse problem for the 2-D Helmholtz equation

Two solution methods for the inverse problem for the 2-D Helmholtz equation are developed, tested, and compared. The proposed approaches are based on a marching finite-difference scheme which requires the solution of an overdetermined system at each step. The preconditioned conjugate gradient method is used for rapid solutions of these systems and an efficient preconditioner has been developed for this class of problems. Underlying target applications include the imaging of land mines, unexploded ordinance, and pollutant plumes in environmental cleanup sites, each formulated as an inverse problem for a 2-D Helmholtz equation. The images represent the electromagnetic properties of the respective underground regions. Extensive numerical results are presented.