Multi-wave imaging in attenuating media

Abstract

We consider a mathematical model of thermoacoustic tomography and other multi-wave imaging techniques with variable sound speed and attenuation. We find that a Neumann series reconstruction algorithm, previously studied under the assumption of zero attenuation, still converges if attenuation is sufficiently small. With complete boundary data, we show the inverse problem has a unique solution, and modified time reversal provides a stable reconstruction. We also consider partial boundary data, and in this case study those singularities that can be stably recovered.