Two-dimensional inverse profiling problem using phaseless data

We discuss the characterization of two-dimensional targets based on their diffracted intensity. The target characterization is performed by minimizing an adequate cost functional, combined with a level-set representation if the target is homogeneous. One key issue in this minimization is the choice of an updating direction, which involves the gradient of the cost functional. This gradient can be evaluated using a fictitious field, the solution of an adjoint problem in which receivers act as sources with a specific amplitude. We explore the Born approximation for the adjoint field and compare various approaches for a wide variety of objects. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.