Uniqueness in inverse scattering problems with phaseless far-field data at a fixed frequency. II

Abstract: This paper is concerned with uniqueness in inverse acoustic scattering with phaseless far-field data at a fixed frequency. In our previous work ({\em SIAM J. Appl. Math. \bf78} (2018), 1737-1753), by utilizing spectral properties of the far-field operator we proved for the first time that the obstacle and the index of refraction of an inhomogeneous medium can be uniquely determined by the phaseless far-field patterns generated by infinitely many sets of superpositions of two plane waves with different directions at a fixed frequency under the a priori assumption that the obstacle is known to be a sound-soft or non-absorbing impedance obstacle and the index of refraction $n$ of the inhomogeneous medium is real-valued and satisfies that either $n-1\ge c_1$ or $n-1\le-c_1$ in the support of $n-1$ for some positive constant $c_1$. In this paper, we remove the a priori assumption on the obstacle and the index of refraction of the inhomogeneous medium by adding a reference ball to the scattering system together with a simpler method of using Rellich's lemma and Green's representation formula for the scattering solutions. Further, our new method is also used to prove uniqueness in determining a locally rough surface from the phaseless far-field patterns corresponding to infinitely many sets of superpositions of two plane waves with different directions as the incident fields at a fixed frequency.