An inverse source problem for the stochastic multi-term time-fractional diffusion-wave equation

Abstract: In this paper, we study both the direct and inverse random source problems associated with the multi-term time-fractional diffusion-wave equation driven by a fractional Brownian motion. Regarding the direct problem, the well-posedness is established and the regularity of the solution is characterized for the equation. In the context of the inverse problem, the uniqueness and instability are investigated on the determination of the random source. Furthermore, a reconstruction formula is provided for the phaseless Fourier modes of the diffusion coefficient in the random source, based on the variance of the boundary data. To reconstruct the time-dependent source function from its phaseless Fourier modes, the PhaseLift method, combined with a spectral cut-off regularization technique, is employed to tackle the phase retrieval problem. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through a series of numerical experiments.