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Assume for this spectral construction that the source and known attenuation are sufficiently smooth and decaying, for instance compactly supported, and that $\mu \ge 0$ for the physical interpretation. The following steps identify both the forward attenuated Radon transform and the route to its inversion.

First write the complex transport operator asFor $k=e^{i\theta }$ this is the real directional derivative ${\mathbf{d}}_{\theta }\cdot \nabla$, with ${\mathbf{d}}_{\theta }=(\cos \theta ,\sin \theta )$. Put ${\mathbf{n}}_{\theta }=(-\sin \theta ,\cos \theta )$ and $x=p{\mathbf{n}}_{\theta }+s{\mathbf{d}}_{\theta }$. The spectral equation on the unit circle becomesIts minus sign fixes the appropriate endpoint condition: use $F(p,+\infty )=0$. The integrating factor givesThus the measured quantity at the opposite end of the line isThe exponent is the attenuation accumulated between the source point and the detector at the negative end. The common convention with detector at the positive end is the same transform after reversing the direction, ${\mathcal{R}}_{\mu }^{+}f(p,\theta )={\mathcal{R}}_{\mu }^{-}f(-p,\theta +\pi )$. Using an incoming zero condition at the negative end while retaining the printed minus sign would instead give a growing integrating factor, not physical attenuation.

Next, for $|k|\ne 1$, the operator $L_k$ is a complex elliptic first-order operator. Its decaying whole-plane Green function isThis is obtained by a real-linear change of variables in the Cauchy-Green operator; its change of orientation explains the sign. Write $G_{k}a$ for convolution with this kernel. Solve $L_{k}h=\mu$, and set $F=e^h\Psi$. This removes the attenuation:The normalized spectral solution is analytic separately inside and outside the unit circle. As $k$ approaches that circle, the Green function's characteristic singularity produces two limiting values. Their relation is computed from the weighted line integrals above together with transverse Hilbert transforms; the known attenuation determines the integrating factor weights. The two spectral limits are not individually just the incoming and outgoing real characteristic solutions: the singular-kernel prescription matters.

Finally formulate the resulting additive Riemann-Hilbert problem on the unit circle. Its jump is determined by the measured attenuated Radon transform and known $\mu$. With the unit circle oriented counterclockwise and jump $J=F_{\mathrm{inside}}-F_{\mathrm{outside}}$, a Cauchy integral formula reconstructs the normalized spectral solution:The normalization at zero supplies the compatibility condition $\int J/\zeta d\zeta =0$. Recover $f$ from $L_{k}F-\mu F$, or from its small-$k$ coefficient: if $F=k{F}_1+O(k^2)$, then $f={\partial }_{\bar{z}}{F}_1$. Equivalently the large-$k$ coefficient gives $f={\partial }_z{F}_{-1}$ when $F=k^{-1}{F}_{-1}+O(k^{-2})$. This spectral reconstruction of an attenuated Radon transform is the analogue of recovering $q$ from a coefficient in (ii). Known attenuation and full directed line data are inputs; one does not determine an arbitrary unknown attenuation and source simultaneously from this argument.

Complexifying the directional transport equation yields spectral solutions analytic inside and outside the unit circle. An integrating factor built from known attenuation removes its multiplication term. The limiting Green kernels encode weighted line measurements and transverse Hilbert transforms. Their jump gives a Riemann-Hilbert problem; its solution recovers the source from an asymptotic coefficient. A general primary treatment of this spectral construction is www.stat.uchicago.edu/~guillaumebal/PAPERS/AttRadTh.pdf .