The Inverse Problem Of Scattering Theory

This monograph by two Soviet experts in mathematical physics was a major contribution to inverse scattering theory. The two-part treatment examines the boundary-value problem with and without singularities. 1963 edition.

The normal business of physicists may be schematically thought of as predic ting the motions of particles on the basis of known forces, or the propagation of radiation on the basis of a known constitution of matter. The inverse problem is to conclude what the forces or constitutions are on the basis of the observed motion. A large part of our sensory contact with the world around us depends on an intuitive solution of such an inverse problem: We infer the shape, size, and surface texture of external objects from their scattering and absorption of light as detected by our eyes. When we use scattering experiments to learn the size or shape of particles, or the forces they exert upon each other, the nature of the problem is similar, if more refined. The kinematics, the equations of motion, are usually assumed to be known. It is the forces that are sought, and how they vary from point to point. As with so many other physical ideas, the first one we know of to have touched upon the kind of inverse problem discussed in this book was Lord Rayleigh (1877). In the course of describing the vibrations of strings of variable density he briefly discusses the possibility of inferring the density distribution from the frequencies of vibration. This passage may be regarded as a precursor of the mathematical study of the inverse spectral problem some seventy years later.

It has now been almost ten years since our first book on scattering theory ap peared [32]. At that time we claimed that "in recent years the development of integral equation methods for the direct scattering problem seems to be nearing completion, whereas the use of such an approach to study the inverse scattering problem has progressed to an extent that a 'state of the art' survey appears highly desirable". Since we wrote these words, the inverse scattering problem for acoustic and electromagnetic waves has grown from being a few theoreti cal considerations with limited numerical implementations to a weH developed mathematical theory with tested numerical algorithms. This maturing of the field of inverse scattering theory has been based on the realization that such problems are in general not only nonlinear but also improperly posed in the sense that the solution does not depend continuously on the measured data. This was emphasized in [32] and treated with the ideas and tools available at that time. Now, almost ten years later, these initial ideas have developed to the extent that a monograph summarizing the mathematical basis of the field seems appropriate. This book is oUf attempt to write such a monograph. The inverse scattering problem for acoustic and electromagnetic waves can broadly be divided into two classes, the inverse obstacle problem and the inverse medium problem.

Here is a clearly written introduction to three central areas of inverse problems: inverse problems in electromagnetic scattering theory, inverse spectral theory, and inverse problems in quantum scattering theory. Inverse problems, one of the most attractive parts of applied mathematics, attempt to obtain information about structures by nondestructive measurements. Based on a series of lectures presented by three of the authors, all experts in the field, the book provides a quick and easy way for readers to become familiar with the area through a survey of recent developments in inverse spectral and inverse scattering problems.

Authored by two experts in the field who have been long-time collaborators, this monograph treats the scattering and inverse scattering problems for the matrix Schrödinger equation on the half line with the general selfadjoint boundary condition. The existence, uniqueness, construction, and characterization aspects are treated with mathematical rigor, and physical insight is provided to make the material accessible to mathematicians, physicists, engineers, and applied scientists with an interest in scattering and inverse scattering. The material presented is expected to be useful to beginners as well as experts in the field. The subject matter covered is expected to be interesting to a wide range of researchers including those working in quantum graphs and scattering on graphs. The theory presented is illustrated with various explicit examples to improve the understanding of scattering and inverse scattering problems. The monograph introduces a specific class of input data sets consisting of a potential and a boundary condition and a specific class of scattering data sets consisting of a scattering matrix and bound-state information. The important problem of the characterization is solved by establishing a one-to-one correspondence between the two aforementioned classes. The characterization result is formulated in various equivalent forms, providing insight and allowing a comparison of different techniques used to solve the inverse scattering problem. The past literature treated the type of boundary condition as a part of the scattering data used as input to recover the potential. This monograph provides a proper formulation of the inverse scattering problem where the type of boundary condition is no longer a part of the scattering data set, but rather both the potential and the type of boundary condition are recovered from the scattering data set.

When, in the spring of 1979, H.P. Baltes presented me with the precursor of this vo 1 ume, the book on "Inverse Source Problems in Opti cs", I expressed my gratitude in a short note, 11hich in translation, reads: "Dear Dr. Ba ltes, the mere titl e of your unexpected gift evokes memori es of a period, which, in the terminology of your own contribution, would be described as the Stone Age of the Inverse Problem. Those were pleasant times. Walter Kohn and I lived in a cave by ourselves, drew pictures on the walls, and nobody seemed to care. Now, however, Inversion has become an Industry, which I contemplate with as much bewilderment as a surviving Tasmanian aborigine gazing at a modern oil refinery with its towers, its fl ares, and the confus i ng maze of its tubes." The present volume makes me feel even more aboriginal - impossible for me to fathom its content. What I can point out, however, is one of the forgotten origins of the Inverse Scattering Problem of Quantum Mechanics: Werner Heisenberg's "S-Matrix Theory" of 1943. This grandiose scheme had the purpose of eliminating the notion of the Hamiltonian in favour of the scattering operator. If Successful, it would have done away once and for all with any kind of inverse problem.