Topological and shape gradient strategy for solving geometrical inverse problems

Abstract In this paper we present a technique for shape reconstruction based on the topological and shape gradients. The shape in consideration is a solution of an inverse conductivity problem. To solve such a problem numerically, we compute the topological gradient of a Kohn–Vogelius-type cost function when the domain under consideration is perturbed by the introduction of a small inclusion instead of a hole. The reconstruction is done by considering the shape as a superposition of very thin elliptic inclusions to get a first approximation. Then, we use a gradient-type algorithm to perform a good reconstruction. Various numerical experiments of single and multiple inclusions demonstrate the viability of the designed algorithm.