Inverse problem for a random Schrödinger equation with unknown source and potential

In this paper, we study an inverse scattering problem associated with the time-harmonic Schrödinger equation where both the potential and the source terms are unknown. The source term is assumed to be a generalised Gaussian random distribution of the microlocally isotropic type, whereas the potential function is assumed to be deterministic. The well-posedness of the forward scattering problem is first established in a proper sense. It is then proved that the rough strength of the random source can be uniquely recovered, independent of the unknown potential, by a single realisation of the passive scattering measurement. In addition to the use of a single sample of the passive measurement for two unknowns, another significant feature of our result is that there is no geometric restriction on the supports of the source and the potential: they can be separated, or overlapped, or one containing the other. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.