Polarimetric Decomposition Techniques for Short Range Imaging Radar

Within this talk, the optimization of polarimetric decomposition approaches — which originate from earth remote sensing — for high-resolution close range radar is presented. The inherent differences between the radar imaging approaches in earth remote sensing and in close range applications are described before the optimization. Within this context, the different antenna array configurations (mono-/multistatic) have to be mentioned in particular. It is shown that different scattering processes are relevant for the corresponding received signal in the two cases. The optimization of decomposition approaches by the introduction of physically appropriate weighting factors for each scattering process is presented. Compared to the classical technique, the optimized decomposition yields strongly improved results. Another focus of this presentation is on the influence of radar parameters such as the actual antenna array configuration or the available bandwidth. The results of extensive measurement campaigns employing realistic scenarios verify the developed concepts and complete the talk.