Application of the model-based inversion algorithm to microwave data

We present a model-based inversion scheme to reconstruct 3D targets from microwave measured data. In this scheme, the inversion domain is partitioned into sub-domains based on a priori information. Every subdomain is described by its geometrical shape and material properties. These parameters are reconstructed during the inversion process so that the simulated response matches the measured data. In this scheme, we apply radial basis functions to represent a surface. This is very suitable for inversion because we avoid the difficulties in tracking the connecting information among points on surfaces. As a complementary algorithm to the typical pixel-based inversion algorithms, the model-based inversion algorithm employs much less unknowns by only inverting the parameters that determine the shape and material properties of the targets. The model-based inversion algorithm can also help to reduce the non-uniqueness in the inversion process. Numerical examples show that it can reconstruct 3D targets with good accuracy and efficiency.