热声计算机断层扫描（热声CT）有潜力成为主要的非侵入性医学成像方法。在本文中，我们推导了[P. Burgholzer, C. Hofer, G. Paltauf, M. Haltmeier, and O. Scherzer, "Thermoacoustic tomography with integrating area and line detectors", IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, 52 (2005)]中引入的一种新型测量设置的通用数学框架，该设置使用线形探测器代替通常的点状探测器。我们证明，三维热声成像问题简化为从解的边界测量重建二维波动方程初始数据的数学问题。我们推导并分析了一个允许快速数值实现的解析重建公式。
英文摘要：
Thermoacoustic computed tomography (thermoacoustic CT) has the potential to become a mayor non-invasive medical imaging method. In this paper we derive a general mathematical framework of a novel measuring setup introduced in [P. Burgholzer, C. Hofer, G. Paltauf, M. Haltmeier, and O. Scherzer, "Thermoacoustic tomography with integrating area and line detectors", IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, 52 (2005)], that uses line shaped detectors instead of the usual point like ones. We show that the three dimensional thermoacoustic imaging problem reduces to the mathematical problem of reconstructing the initial data of the two dimensional wave equation from boundary measurements of its solution. We derive and analyze an analytic reconstruction formula which allows for fast numerical implementation.
We explore the effect of sampling rates when measuring data given by $Mf$ for special operators $M$ arising in Thermoacoustic Tomography. We start with sampling requirements on $Mf$ given $f$ satisfying certain conditions. After this we discuss the resolution limit on $f$ posed by the sampling rate of $Mf$ without assuming any conditions on these sampling rates. Next we discuss aliasing artifacts when $Mf$ is known to be under sampled in one or more of its variables. Finally, we discuss averaging of measurement data and resulting aliasing and artifacts, along with a scheme for anti-aliasing.
We present a family of closed form inversion formulas in thermoacoustic tomography in the case of a constant sound speed. The formulas are presented in both time-domain and frequency-domain versions. As special cases, they imply most of the previously known filtered backprojection type formulas.
We consider the problem of thermoacoustic tomography (TAT), in which one needs to reconstruct the initial value of a solution of the wave equation from its value on an observation surface. We show that if some geometric rays for the equation do not intersect the observation surface, the reconstruction in TAT is not Hölder stable.
We prove a uniqueness theorem for compactly supported initial data for the variable speed wave equation arising in models of thermoacoustic tomography, given measurements on a part of the boundary. The proof is based on domain of dependence arguments and D. Tataru's unique continuation theorem.
We derive an explicit method for reconstructing singularities of the initial data in a thermoacoustic tomography problem, in the case of variable sound speed and limited boundary data. In order to obtain this explicit formula we assume the metric induced by the sound speed does not have conjugate points inside the region to be observed.
We consider the mathematical model of photoacoustic and thermoacoustic tomography in media with a variable sound speed. When the sound speed is known, the explicit reconstruction formula by P. Stefanov and G. Uhlmann (Inverse Problems, 25(7):075011, 16, 2009) can be used. We study how a modelling error in the sound speed affects the reconstruction formula and quantify the effect in terms of a stability estimate.
The spectrum of the interior transmission problem is related to the unique determination of the acoustic properties of a body in thermoacoustic imaging. Under a non-trapping hypothesis, we show that sparsity of the interior transmission spectrum implies a range separation condition for the thermoacoustic operator. In odd dimension greater than or equal to three, we prove that the transmission spectrum for a pair of radially symmetric non-trapping sound speeds is countable, and conclude that the ranges of the associated thermoacoustic maps have only trivial intersection.
The time reversal method in thermoacoustic tomography is used for approximating the initial pressure inside a biological object using measurements of the pressure wave made on a surface surrounding the object. This article presents error estimates for the time reversal method in the cases of variable, non-trapping sound speeds.
In this article, we consider the inverse source problem arising in photoacoustic tomography in elastic media. We show that the time reversal method, proposed by Tittelfitz [Inverse Problems 28.5 (2012): 055004], converges with the sharp observation time without any constraint on the speeds of the longitudinal and shear waves.
We explore Thermoacoustic Tomography with circular integrating detectors assuming variable, smooth wave speed. We show that the measurement operator in this case is a Fourier Integral Operator and examine how the singularities in initial data and measured data are related through the canonical relation of this operator. We prove which of those singularities in the initial data are visible from a fixed open subset of the set on which measurements are taken. In addition, numerical results are shown for both full and partial data.
We study the mathematical model of thermoacoustic and photoacoustic tomography when the sound speed has a jump across a smooth surface. This models the change of the sound speed in the skull when trying to image the human brain. We derive an explicit inversion formula in the form of a convergent Neumann series under the assumptions that all singularities from the support of the source reach the boundary.
We study the mathematical model of thermoacoustic tomography in media with a variable speed for a fixed time interval, greater than the diameter of the domain. In case of measurements on the whole boundary, we give an explicit solution in terms of a Neumann series expansion. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for uniqueness and stability when the measurements are taken on a part of the boundary.
In this article we study the inverse problem of thermoacoustic tomography (TAT) on a medium with attenuation represented by a time- convolution (or memory) term, and whose consideration is motivated by the modeling of ultrasound waves in heterogeneous tissue via fractional derivatives with spatially dependent parameters. Under the assumption of being able to measure data on the whole boundary, we prove uniqueness and stability, and propose a convergent reconstruction method for a class of smooth variable sound speeds. By a suitable modification of the time reversal technique, we obtain a Neuma…
We investigate the problem of recovering the initial displacement f for a solution u of a linear, isotropic, non-homogeneous elastic wave equation, given measurements of u on [0,T] x \partial Ω, where Ω\subset\R^3 is some bounded domain containing the support of f. For the acoustic wave equation, this problem is known as thermoacoustic tomography (TAT), and has been well-studied; for the elastic wave equation, the situation is somewhat more subtle, and we give sufficient conditions on the Lamé parameters to ensure that recovery is possible.
Thermoacoustic tomography is a term for the inverse problem of determining of one of initial conditions of a hyperbolic equation from boundary measurements. In the past publications both stability estimates and convergent numerical methods for this problem were obtained only under some restrictive conditions imposed on the principal part of the elliptic operator. In this paper logarithmic stability estimates are obatined for an arbitrary variable principal part of that operator. Convergence of the Quasi-Reversibility Method to the exact solution is also established for this case. Both complete…
The circular Radon transform integrates a function over the set of all spheres with a given set of centers. The problem of injectivity of this transform (as well as inversion formulas, range descriptions, etc.) arises in many fields from approximation theory to integral geometry, to inverse problems for PDEs, and recently to newly developing types of tomography. The article discusses known and provides new results that one can obtain by methods that essentially involve only the finite speed of propagation and domain dependence for the wave equation.
We consider the inverse source problem of thermo- and photoacoustic tomography, with data registered on an open surface partially surrounding the source of acoustic waves. Under the assumption of constant speed of sound we develop an explicit non-iterative reconstruction procedure that recovers the Radon transform of the sought source, up to an infinitely smooth additive error term. The source then can be found by inverting the Radon transform. Our analysis is microlocal in nature and does not provide a norm estimate on the error in the so obtained image. However, numerical simulations show th…
Practical applications of thermoacoustic tomography require numerical inversion of the spherical mean Radon transform with the centers of integration spheres occupying an open surface. Solution of this problem is needed (both in 2-D and 3-D) because frequently the region of interest cannot be completely surrounded by the detectors, as it happens, for example, in breast imaging. We present an efficient numerical algorithm for solving this problem in 2-D (similar methods are applicable in the 3-D case). Our method is based on the numerical approximation of plane waves by certain single layer pot…
We propose three fast algorithms for solving the inverse problem of the thermoacoustic tomography corresponding to certain acquisition geometries. Two of these methods are designed to process the measurements done with point-like detectors placed on a circle (in 2D) or a sphere (in 3D) surrounding the object of interest. The third inversion algorithm works with the data measured by the integrating line detectors arranged in a cylindrical assembly rotating around the object. The number of operations required by these techniques is equal to O(n^3 log n) and O(n^3 log^2 n) for the 3D techniques (…
This paper concerns thermoacoustic tomography and photoacoustic tomography, two couple-physics imaging modalities that attempt to combine the high resolution of ultrasound and the high contrast capabilities of electromagnetic waves. We give sufficient conditions to recover both the sound speed of the medium being probed and the source.
We develop a paradigm using microlocal analysis that allows one to characterize the visible and added singularities in a broad range of incomplete data tomography problems. We give precise characterizations for photo- and thermoacoustic tomography and Sonar, and provide artifact reduction strategies. In particular, our theorems show that it is better to arrange Sonar detectors so that the boundary of the set of detectors does not have corners and is smooth. To illustrate our results, we provide reconstructions from synthetic spherical mean data as well as from experimental photoacoustic data.
Almost all known image reconstruction algorithms for photoacoustic and thermoacoustic tomography assume that the acoustic waves leave the region of interest after a finite time. This assumption is reasonable if the reflections from the detectors and surrounding surfaces can be neglected or filtered out (for example, by time-gating). However, when the object is surrounded by acoustically hard detector arrays, and/or by additional acoustic mirrors, the acoustic waves will undergo multiple reflections. (In the absence of absorption they would bounce around in such a reverberant cavity forever). T…
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.
This paper is devoted to a Radon-type transform arising in a version of Photoacoustic Tomography that uses integrating circular detectors. We show that the transform can be decomposed into the spherical Radon transform and the Funk-Minkowski transform. An inversion formula and a range description are obtained by combining existing inversion for- mulas and range descriptions for the spherical Radon transform and the Funk-Minkowski transform. Numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate our proposed algorithm.
In the previous paper "Stabilizing Inverse Problems by Internal Data", the authors introduced a simple procedure that allows one to detect whether and explain why internal information arising in several novel coupled physics (hybrid) imaging modalities could turn extremely unstable techniques, such as optical tomography or electrical impedance tomography, into stable, good-resolution procedures. It was shown that in all cases of interest, the Frechet derivative of the forward mapping is a pseudo-differential operator with an explicitly computable principal symbol. If one can set up the imaging…
This paper surveys inverse problems arising in several coupled-physics imaging modalities for both medical and geophysical purposes. These include Photo-acoustic Tomography (PAT), Thermo-acoustic Tomography (TAT), Electro-Seismic Conversion, Transient Elastrography (TE) and Acousto-Electric Tomography (AET). These inverse problems typically consists of multiple inverse steps, each of which corresponds to one of the wave propagations involved. The review focus on those steps known as the inverse problems with internal data, in which the complex geometrical optics (CGO) solutions to the underlyi…
This paper is devoted to a Radon-type transform arising in Photoacoustic Tomography that uses integrating line detectors. We consider two situations: when the line detectors are tangent to the boundary of a cylindrical domain and when the line detectors are located on a plane. We present the analogue of the Fourier slice theorems for each case of the Radon-type transforms. Also, we provide several new inversion formulas, a support theorem, and stability estimate and necessary range condition results.
