Half-time range description for the free space wave operator and the spherical means transform

The forward problem arising in several hybrid imaging modalities can be modeled by the Cauchy problem for the free space wave equation. Solution to this problems describes propagation of a pressure wave, generated by a source supported inside unit sphere S. The data g represent the time-dependent values of the pressure on the observation surface S. Finding initial pressure f from the known values of g consitutes the inverse problem. The latter is also frequently formulated in terms of the spherical means of f with centers on S. Here we consider a problem of range description of the wave operator mapping f into g. Such a problem was considered before, with data g known on time interval at least [ 0 , 2 ] (assuming the unit speed of sound). Range conditions were also found in terms of spherical means, with radii of integration spheres lying in the range [ 0 , 2 ] . However, such data are redundant. We present necessary and sufficient conditions for function g to be in the range of the wave operator, for g given on a half-time interval [ 0 , 1 ] . This also implies range conditions on spherical means measured for the radii in the range [ 0 , 1 ] .