Comparison of chirp scaling and wavenumber domain algorithms for airborne low-frequency SAR

Abstract

In recent years a new class of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems, using low frequencies, have emerged. The combination of low frequencies with high bandwidths allows a variety of new applications. Several new fields arise in forestry, biomass estimation and in archaeological and geological exploration. The P-band SAR technology benefits from technological advances in antenna design, low noise amplifiers, band pass filters, digital receiver technology, as well as new processing algorithms. For all the new applications of an airborne P-band SAR system, the high-resolution imaging is an important parameter, but it cannot be easily achieved with conventional processing techniques. In this paper, the performance and limitations of the Extended Chirp Scaling (ECS) algorithm and wavenumber domain Omega-K processing algorithm are analysed and discussed. Additionally, modifications of both algorithms are proposed, which optimise the respective algorithm for processing low frequency, wide-beam and wide-band SAR data. Despite of the inherent limitations of the above mentioned processing algorithms, a deterministic phase error, called "digital phase error", due to digital signal processing characteristics is formulated and its effect to the processed SAR data is analytically described. The analysis is carried out, using simulated low frequency airborne SAR data.