A tomographic formulation of spotlight-mode synthetic aperture radar

TLDR

Spotlight‑mode synthetic aperture radar synthesizes high‑resolution terrain maps by collecting data from multiple observation angles. This paper demonstrates that spotlight‑mode SAR can be interpreted as a tomographic reconstruction problem and analyzed with the projection‑slice theorem from computer‑aided tomography. The authors model each SAR transmission as a Fourier slice of the ground area, reconstruct images with CAT algorithms, and discuss resolution, sampling, waveform curvature, Doppler effects, and related issues within this framework. The tomographic model yields a simple, Doppler‑shift‑independent understanding of SAR imaging.

Abstract

Spotlight-mode synthetic aperture radar (spotlight-mode SAR) synthesizes high-resolution terrain maps using data gathered from multiple observation angles. This paper shows that spotlight-mode SAR can be interpreted as a tomographic reeonstrution problem and analyzed using the projection-slice theorem from computer-aided tomograpy (CAT). The signal recorded at each SAR transmission point is modeled as a portion of the Fourier transform of a central projection of the imaged ground area. Reconstruction of a SAR image may then be accomplished using algorithms from CAT. This model permits a simple understanding of SAR imaging, not based on Doppler shifts. Resolution, sampling rates, waveform curvature, the Doppler effect, and other issues are also discussed within the context of this interpretation of SAR.