On the justification of topological derivative for wave-based qualitative imaging of finite-sized defects in bounded media

Abstract

PurposeThis work contributes to the general problem of justifying the validity of the heuristic that underpins medium imaging using topological derivatives (TDs), which involves the sign and the spatial decay away from the true anomaly of the TD functional. The author considers here the identification of finite-sized (i.e. not necessarily small) anomalies embedded in bounded media and affecting the leading-order term of the acoustic field equation.Design/methodology/approachTD-based imaging functionals are reformulated for analysis using a suitable factorization of the acoustic fields, which is facilitated by a volume integral formulation. The three kinds of TDs (single-measurement, full-measurement and eigenfunction-based) studied in this work are given expressions whose structure allows to establish results on their sign and decay properties. The latter are obtained using analytical methods involving classical identities on Bessel functions and Legendre polynomials, as well as asymptotic approximations predicated on spatial scaling assumptions.FindingsThe sign component of the TD imaging heuristic is found to be valid for multistatic experiments and if the sought anomaly satisfies a bound (on a certain operator norm) involving its geometry, its contrast and the operating frequency. Moreover, upon processing the excitation and data by applying suitably-defined bounded linear operatirs to them, the magnitude component of the TD imaging heuristic is proved under scaling assumptions where the anomaly is small relative to the probing region, the latter being itself small relative to the propagation domain. The author additionally validates both components of the TD imaging heuristic when the probing excitation is taken as an eigenfunction of the source-to-measurement operator, with a focusing effect analogous to that achieved in time-reversal based methods taking place. These findings extend those of earlier studies to the case of finite-sized anomalies embedded in bounded media.Originality/valueThe originality of the paper lies in the theoretical justifications of the TD-based imaging heuristic for finite-sized anomalies embedded in bounded media.