Focusing of Dispersive Targets Using Synthetic Aperture Radar

Abstract : The focusing of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data presents problems to the designer. This report addresses the SAR focusing problem with special attention to focusing an area in the near field of the synthetic aperture over a decade or more of bandwidth in a manner that preserves target resonance characteristics. A method for solving this image formation problem is described, along with a computationally efficient algorithm that is applicable to real-time processing with motion compensation. Simplified program examples are given, as well as a complete program listing that executes on several single-chip array processors simultaneously. An error analysis shows quantitatively when the depth of focus is adequate to preserve long-duration target resonance ringing effects for a given target Q, geometry, and bandwidth. SAR, UWB, Focusing radar.