A Mathematical Model for SAR Imaging beyond the First Born Approximation

Abstract

The assumption of weak scattering is standard for the mathematical analysis of synthetic aperture radar (SAR), as it helps linearize the inverse problem via the first Born approximation and thus makes it amenable to solution. Yet it is not consistent with another common assumption, that the interrogating waves do not penetrate into the target material and get scattered off its surface only, which essentially means that the scattering is strong. In the paper, we revisit the foundations of the SAR ambiguity theory in order to address this and other existing inconsistencies, such as the absence of the Bragg scale in scattering. We introduce a new model for radar targets that allows us to compute the scattered field from first principles. This renders the assumption of weak scattering unnecessary yet keeps the overall inverse scattering problem linear. Finally, we show how one can incorporate the Leontovich boundary condition into SAR ambiguity theory.