Questions tagged [inverse-problems]
Inverse problems involve for example reconstruction of an object based on physical measurements and finding a best model/parameters out of a family given observed data. Typically the corresponding "forward" problems are well-posed and can be solved straightforwardly, while the inverse problems are often ill-posed. Not to be confused with the (inverse) tag.
92 questions
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Recent observation of gravitational waves
It was exciting to hear that LIGO detected the merging of two black
holes one billion light-years away. One of the black holes had 36
times the mass of the sun, and the other 29. After the merging the
...
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Mathematics of imaging the black hole
The first ever black hole was "pictured" recently, per an announcement made on 10th April, 2019. See for example: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47873592 .
It has been claimed that ...
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7
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What's that shape? Inferring a 3D shape from random shadows
Let $P$ be a bounded, simply connected region of $\mathbb{R}^3$.
$P$ could be a polyhedron, or a smooth shape, or an arbitrary shape;
I'll assume below that $P$ is a (non-degenerate, perhaps non-...
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Geodesics in finite groups
It seems that I can generalize a result from compact, connected Lie groups to finite groups, but in order to do so, I need to have some kind of geodesics on finite groups.
Below is a proposition for ...
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An explicit reconstruction of a matrix from its minors
$\newcommand{\End}{\operatorname{End}}$
$\newcommand{\GL}{\operatorname{GL}}$
$\newcommand{\Cof}{\operatorname{cof}}$
Let $V$ be a $d$-dimensional real vector space. ($d \ge 4$). Fix an odd integer $...
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Is $\delta(df \wedge df)=0$ an Euler-Lagrange equation?
$\newcommand{\id}{\operatorname{Id}}$
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$\newcommand{\Hom}{\operatorname{Hom}}$
$\newcommand{\M}{\mathcal{M}}$
$\newcommand{\N}{\mathcal{N}}$
$\newcommand{\tr}{\...
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How to find Suleimanova's work on the Nonnegative Inverse Eigenvalue Problem?
Many papers cite the work of Suleimanova when studying inverse eigenvalue problems - in particular, the nonnegative inverse eigenvalue problem (NIEP). However, I cannot seem to find her work anywhere....
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Which matrices can be realized as the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map for a given domain?
Consider Poisson equation $\nabla \cdot (\sigma(x)\nabla u)=0$ in a domain $D$, where $\sigma(x)$ is the spatially dependent conductivity. On the boundary we have $n$ electrodes (Dirichlet BC $u=\text{...
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Automorphisms of projective spaces, and the Axiom of Choice
It is known that upon not accepting the Axiom of Choice (AC), there exist models of ZF in which there are projective spaces (over a division ring) with a trivial automorphism group. (This is a truly ...
- 4,547
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Inverting a function
I posted this question on crypto.SE but got no answer:
Let $w = a_0 \cdot a_1 \cdots a_{n-1} $ be a word from $ \{0,1\}^n $, $|w| = n$
Let $m = \sum_{i=0}^{n-1}{ a_i \cdot 2 ^ {n-1-i} } $ be the ...
user6671
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Question on Inverse Galois Theory
Let $G$ be a finite group, $n=|G|$. Let $\rho:G\rightarrow GL(n,\mathbb{C})$ be the regular representation. Let $G \le H \le S_n$ be another group.
Then we have
$\mathbb{Q}[x_1,\cdots,x_n]^H \le \...
user6671
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Inversion of Radon transform by incomplete data: specific case
Let $R[f](p,t)$ denote the Radon transform of smooth function $f(x) \colon \mathbb{R}^n \to \mathbb{R}$ with compact support in $\mathbb{R}^n_+$:
$$
R[f](p,t) = \int\limits_{x \cdot p = t} f(x) dx.
...
- 1,329
7
votes
1
answer
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Solving for a set of points from projections
Consider a set of $N$ points in $n$-dimensional space, i.e.
\begin{align*}
S = \{x_1, \dots, x_N\} \subset \mathbb R^n.
\end{align*}
Let $v \in \mathbb R^n$ and consider the image set (not counting ...
user45183
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An unusual metric reconstruction problem
$\newcommand{\bR}{\mathbb{R}}\newcommand{\pa}{\partial}$This questions has some nebulous roots in Morse theory. The most general version goes as follows. Fix an integer $n\geq 2$. Suppose that we have ...
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Reference Request - Recovering a function from its definite integrals (inverse problem)
I'm having a difficult time finding any theory on an inverse problem I've come up against. Let's say I have an unknown function $f:[0,1] \rightarrow \mathbb{R}$, and I know $\int_{a}^{b} f$ for some ...
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1
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Radon transform between affine grassmannians
Let $\overline{GR}(n,k)$ be the manifold of all affine k-dimensional subspaces in $R^n$, and let
$R:C^{\infty}_c(\overline{GR}(n,k))\to C^{\infty}_c(\overline{GR}(n,l))$, $0\le k<l\le n-1$, be the ...
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2
answers
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Approximating Uniform Distribution with Mixture of Gaussians
Let $T$ be a compact, connected, proper subset of $\mathbb{R}^3:\quad T \subset \mathbb{R}^3$.
Further let $\left\{ \boldsymbol{\mu}_i \right\}_{i=1}^n$ be a given finite set of $n$ point in $T$:
$$
\...
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votes
2
answers
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Reconstruction of second-order elliptic operator from spectrum
Let $M$ be a compact smooth manifold, $(\lambda_n)_{n=1}^{\infty}$ be a square-summable monotonically increasing sequence of non-negative numbers, and let $(f_k)_{k=1}^{\infty}$ be continuous ...
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1
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Domains with discrete Laplace spectrum
Let $\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^n$ be a domain. Assume that the Laplacian $-\Delta=-(\partial^2/\partial x_1^2+\cdots+\partial^2/\partial x_n^2)$ has a discrete spectrum on $L^2(\Omega)$ (i.e., we are ...
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Are inverse eigenvalue problems (IEPs) hopeless and not a fruitful area of research?
I've been studying IEPs, in particular, the Nonnegative Inverse Eigenvalue Problem, some basic theoretical framework, the many open questions that IEPs have, and now sort of realize the computational ...
- 1
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2
answers
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Reconstructing set of points from one-dimensional images
Consider a set of $N$ points in $n$-dimensional space, i.e.
\begin{align*}
\{x_1, \dots, x_N\} \subset \mathbb R^n.
\end{align*}
Let us be given a finite family of non-injective matrices
\begin{...
user45183
5
votes
0
answers
121
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Recovering a binary function on a lattice by studying its sum along closed walks
I recently posted this question on MSE. While it attracted interest, no answers were submitted, so I thought to try and post it here.
I have a binary function $f:\mathbb N^2\rightarrow\{0,1\}$. While ...
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Functional inverse problem based on a variational principle
I am trying to solve an inverse problem based on variational principle.
I will first present a forward problem that is already solved, and then present the inverse problem that I am trying currently ...
5
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0
answers
201
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Where to locate $0\in \Omega$ to get $u_{\varepsilon}(0)\neq 0$ where $\Delta u_{\varepsilon} + (\lambda-\varepsilon) u_{\varepsilon} = \frac{1}{|x|}$
Let $\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^3$ a smooth bounded domain with $0\in \Omega$ and $u_\varepsilon(x)$ the solution to
$$
\Delta u_\varepsilon + (\lambda-\varepsilon) u_\varepsilon = \frac{1}{|x|}\quad \...
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votes
1
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Interpretation of the integral "with respect to a plane wave" in terms of Radon transform
This question might have a formulation in higher dimensions, but for now let's deal with the 2 dimensional Radon transform:
$\newcommand{\R}{\mathbb{R}}$
$$
Rf(\varphi,s)=\int_{-\infty}^\infty f(s\...
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Interesting questions for inverse parabolic problems
I'm looking for some interesting questions and maybe open problems in inverse problems theory, especially in the framework of parabolic PDEs (basically the heat equation). As key words here we can ...
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Under what hypothesis on the domain is the X-ray transform/John transform operator bounded?
I asked this question on math stackexchange, without any reply yet.
Link:https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/1401580/under-what-hypothesis-is-the-x-ray-transform-john-transform-operator-bounded
...
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Injectivity of the Funk transform for nonsmooth functions
Let $S^{n-1}$ be the unit sphere in $\mathbb R^n$ and $\Gamma_n$ the collection of great circles on it.
Assume $n\geq3$.
The Funk transform of a function $f:S^{n-1}\to\mathbb R$ is a map $Ff:\Gamma_n\...
- 8,086
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1
answer
317
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Given convex l.s.c. function $f$, find decreasing convex function $\phi$ such that $f(x) \equiv \sup_y x\phi(y)-\phi(-y)$
Let $f: \mathbb R \rightarrow (-\infty,+\infty]$ be a lower-semicontinuous convex function.
Question
Under what futher conditions does there exists a convex decreasing function $\phi: \mathbb R \...
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Optimal transport: find cost function given observed transport
Could you advise me please on what to read on the "inverse" problem: suppose I have a source measure, a target measure and I observe the solution to optimal transport problem -- can I "back out" the ...
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Invertibility of an inverse problem
Let $p$ be a scalar field $p: \mathbb R^n \to \mathbb R$. I encountered the problem of reconstructing an unknown density $p$ from its integral values
$$I(t,z) = \int_{V_t} p(x) dS$$
along a one-...
user45183
4
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0
answers
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A question in inverse Galois Theory
Let $\mathbb{G}= \{g_1,\dots,g_n\}$ be a finite group and $\rho$ its regular representation. Let $x_1,\dots,x_n$ be indeterminates and let $x = (x_1,\dots,x_n)^\top$. Let the matrix $G$ be defined ...
user6671
4
votes
0
answers
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Applications of Freiman's theorem?
What are some interesting applications of Freiman's theorem or, better-yet, its recent generalizations (eg Green-Ruzsa) that could be included in a graduate course in additive combinatorics?
I'm ...
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How to check if a manifold can be foliated by strictly convex hypersurfaces?
Let $M$ be a compact Riemannian manifold with boundary.
How can one recognize whether the manifold can be foliated by strictly convex hypersurfaces?
An exact definition is given below.
If the ...
- 8,086
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answers
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Sample based inversion of the Radon transform
I have a classic tomography problem in which I would like to infer the internal density $p_0: \mathbb R^2 \to \mathbb R$ from external Radon projections. The internal density however is viewed as a ...
user45183
4
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Do position and momentum measurements determine a wave function?
Suppose we have a function $f\in L^2(\mathbb R^n)$ and we know the functions $x\mapsto|f(x)|$ and $p\mapsto|\hat f(p)|$, where $\hat f$ is the Fourier transform of $f$.
Can we reconstruct the function ...
- 8,086
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answers
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Can one hear the shape of a drum for operators?
M. Kac in his famous paper "Can one hear the shape of a drum?" asked whether one can "hear" the area of the ambient domain by looking at the spectral picture. Although he was not the first who came up ...
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Is there an English translation of Hadamard's classic French paper on well-posed problems?
This paper by Hadamard is often cited as being the source of the definition of well-posed and ill-posed problems.
However, it is in French so I cannot verify that claim.
Is there an English ...
3
votes
1
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On the equation $[U, V] - V_x = C(x)$
While considering the zero curvature equation $U_t - V_x + [U, V] = 0$, I developed a similar problem, albeit one that discards time dependence entirely. For a given $U(x)$ and $C(x)$, find $V(x)$ ...
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Reconstructing the Green's function of an initial-value problem of partial differential equation
Consider a partial differential equation that is of the following form:
\begin{equation}
(-\partial_x^2+g(x))f(x, t)=i\partial_tf(x, t)
\end{equation}
where $g(x)$ is a real function. Suppose that $f(...
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General Radon-type inverse problem
Let $f : \mathbb R^n \to \mathbb R$ be a density which is sufficiently smooth and can also be restricted to have compact support for now.
Let $t \ge 0$ and $F_t : \mathbb R^n \to \mathbb R$, i.e. $(...
user45183
3
votes
1
answer
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Partial recovery from Radon transform
Let $f : \mathbb R^3 \to \mathbb R$ be an integrable function. Let $\eta$ be a one-dimensional subspace of $\mathbb R^3$. We denote $p+\eta$ the affine subspace (a line) which is obtained by ...
user45183
3
votes
1
answer
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Is this result on an unconstrained inverse quadratic programming problem new or known already?
Is this problem and solution actually new, or has someone done this earlier?
The details can be found in the preprint: arxiv:1701.01477.
Let us consider a direct quadratic programming problem:
$$
\...
3
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0
answers
74
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Confusion with implementation of PDE constraint Bayesiain inverse problem
Consider a PDE,
$$\partial_t u -a \nabla u - ru (1-u) = 0$$
at a given snapshot in time. The inverse problem is to find the diffusion coefficient $a \in L^{\infty}$ from a noisy measurement $$Y = \Phi(...
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answers
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Inverse Laplace transform through contour integration
How can I prove that in formal way, this function doesn't have inverse Laplace transform.
$$
F(s)=\frac{\sin(s)}{\sqrt{s}}
$$
Strictly it should be in Bromwich contour method.
Could you please tell ...
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0
answers
39
views
Reference request: diffusion approximation to the radiative transport
I'm looking for a good, modern reference for the diffusion approximation to the radiative transport problem. I'm aware of the text of Dautray and Lions, as well as the monograph by Bensoussan, Lions, ...
- 123
3
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0
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119
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Radon transform on complex Grassmannians
Let $Gr_{i,n}$ denote the Grassmannian of complex linear $i$-dimensional subspaces in the Hermitian space $\mathbb{C}^n$. Let $1\leq i<n/2$. Consider the Radon transform between space of functions ...
- 21.8k
3
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0
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182
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Spectra of certain totally positive matrices
Let $S$ be the set of $3 \times 3$ matrices $A$ satisfying the following conditions:
All minors are $>0$ (i.e., $A$ is a strictly totally positive matrix);
all principal minors are $>1$, except ...
- 2,479
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2
answers
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Choosing the order of Tikhonov regularization of an inverse problem
This question is migrated from math.stackexchange.
Let me first describe the problem I am trying to solve and then the question I have. I greatly appreciate anyone who can shine some light on it.
...
- 123
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1
answer
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Inverse problem of the calculus of variations for autonomous second-order ODEs
Consider the following particular case of the inverse problem of the calculus of variations: given a system of second-order equations
$$
\ddot{q}^i = f^i(q, \dot{q}, t), \quad i = 1, \dots, n, \label{...
