Bayesian approximation error approach in full-wave ultrasound tomography

In ultrasound tomography, the spatial distribution of the speed of sound in a region of interest is reconstructed based on transient measurements made around the object. The computation of the forward problem (the full-wave solution) within the object is a computationally intensive task and can often be prohibitive for practical purposes. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of using approximate forward solvers and the partial recovery from the related errors by employing the Bayesian approximation error approach. In addition to discretization error, we also investigate whether the approach can be used to reduce the reconstruction errors that are due to the adoption of approximate absorbing boundary models. We carry out two numerical studies in which the objective is to reduce the computational times to around 3% of the time that would be required by a numerically accurate forward solver. The results show that the Bayesian approximation error approach improves the reconstructions.