The virtual experiments: An emerging framework for the effective solution of inverse scattering problems

In this communication, we discuss the potential and the perspectives of a new and effective framework to tackle the solution of inverse scattering problems. Starting from the statement that scattering phenomena can be recombined in many different ways (due to the linearity of Maxwell equations), it is possible to design suitable experiments where peculiar properties of the field or of the contrast source can be pursued. These virtual experiments, synthetically built by properly processing the available data, provide a convenient framework to recast the inverse problem, wherein the enforced properties can be exploited throughout the solution procedure. Accordingly, this concept is a powerful tool to derive new inversion approaches capable to handle as well as to overcome some of the typical difficulties and limitations in the solution of inverse scattering problems.