SAR/InSAR observation by an HF sounder

Abstract

Application of SAR imaging algorithm to spaceborne HF sounder observation was studied. Two types of image ambiguity problems were addressed in the application. One is surface/subsurface image ambiguity arising from deep penetration of HF wave, and another is mirror image ambiguity that is inherent to dipole antenna SAR. A numerical model demonstrated that the surface/subsurface ambiguity can be mitigated by taking a synthetic aperture large enough to defocus subsurface objects. In order to resolve the mirror image ambiguity problem, an image superposition technique was proposed. The performance of the technique was demonstrated by using simulation data of the HF sounder observation to confirm the feasibility of HF SAR and HF InSAR observation.