Determination of the coefficient of bottom scattering during multi-beam sounding of the ocean

Mathematical problems of constructing sonar images of the seabed according to measurements of a multi-beam side-scan sonar are considered. In the framework of the model based on the non-stationary equation of radiation transfer, the inverse problem of finding the bottom scattering coefficient is investigated. A new method is proposed for solving the inverse problem under the assumption of single scattering and pulsed sounding mode. A numerical analysis of the quality of the images of the seabed is carried out depending on the number of sensing angles, the width of the radiation pattern of the receiving antennas and the level of volume scattering in the medium.