On the Inverse Problem for a Size-Structured Population Model

We consider a size-structured model for cell division and address the question of determining the division (birth) rate from the measured stable size distribution of the population. We formulate such question as an inverse problem for an integro-differential equation posed on the half line. We develop firstly a regular dependency theory for the solution in terms of the coefficients and, secondly, a novel regularization technique for tackling this inverse problem which takes into account the specific nature of the equation. Our results rely also on generalized relative entropy estimates and related Poincaré inequalities. Key-words Size structure models. Inverse problem. Regularization technique. Entropy methods. AMS Class. Numbers 35B30, 35R30, 92D25 Submitted to: Inverse Problems