There are currently many practical situations in which one wishes to determine the coefficients in an ordinary or partial differential equation from known functionals of its solution. These are often called "inverse problems of mathematical physics" and may be contrasted with problems in which an equation is given and one looks for its solution under initial and boundary conditions. Although inverse problems are often ill-posed in the classical sense, their practical importance is such that they may be considered among the pressing problems of current mathematical re search. A. N. Tihonov showed [82], [83] that there is a broad class of inverse problems for which a particular non-classical definition of well-posed ness is appropriate. This new definition requires that a solution be unique in a class of solutions belonging to a given subset M of a function space. The existence of a solution in this set is assumed a priori for some set of data. The classical requirement of continuous dependence of the solution on the data is retained but it is interpreted differently. It is required that solutions depend continuously only on that data which does not take the solutions out of M.

In this monograph a method for proving the solvability of integral geometry problems and inverse problems for kinetic equations is presented. The application of this method has led to interesting problems of the Dirichlet type for third order differential equations, the solvability of which appears to depend on the geometry of the domain for which the problem is stated. Another considered subject is the problem of integral geometry on paraboloids, in particular the uniqueness of solutions to the Goursat problem for a differential inequality, which implies new theorems on the uniqueness of solutions to this problem for a class of quasilinear hyperbolic equations. A class of multidimensional inverse problems associated with problems of integral geometry and the inverse problem for the quantum kinetic equations are also included.

Elucidates the fundamental mathematical structures of inverse problems, analyzing both the information content and the solution of some inverse problems in which the information content of the coefficients and the source term of a given differential equation is not too large. In order to be accessib

A comprehensive description of the current theoretical and numerical aspects of inverse problems in partial differential equations. Applications include recovery of inclusions from anomalies of their gravity fields, reconstruction of the interior of the human body from exterior electrical, ultrasonic, and magnetic measurement. By presenting the data in a readable and informative manner, the book introduces both scientific and engineering researchers as well as graduate students to the significant work done in this area in recent years, relating it to broader themes in mathematical analysis.

Contains the proceedings of an AMS-IMS-SIAM Joint Summer Research Conference on Integral Geometry and Tomography, held in June 1989 at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. This book features articles that range over such diverse areas as combinatorics, geometric inequalities, micro-local analysis, group theory, and harmonic analysis.