Transionospheric Synthetic Aperture Imaging

This landmark monograph presents the most recent mathematical developments in the analysis of ionospheric distortions of SAR images and offers innovative new strategies for their mitigation. As a prerequisite to addressing these topics, the book also discusses the radar ambiguity theory as it applies to synthetic aperture imaging and the propagation of radio waves through the ionospheric plasma, including the anisotropic and turbulent cases. In addition, it covers a host of related subjects, such as the mathematical modeling of extended radar targets (as opposed to point-wise targets) and the scattering of radio waves off those targets, as well as the theoretical analysis of the start-stop approximation, which is used routinely in SAR signal processing but often without proper justification. The mathematics in this volume is clean and rigorous – no assumptions are hidden or ambiguously stated. The resulting work is truly interdisciplinary, providing both a comprehensive and thorough exposition of the field, as well as an accurate account of a range of relevant physical processes and phenomena. The book is intended for applied mathematicians interested in the area of radar imaging or, more generally, remote sensing, as well as physicists and electrical/electronic engineers who develop/operate spaceborne SAR sensors and perform the data processing. The methods in the book are also useful for researchers and practitioners working on other types of imaging. Moreover, the book is accessible to graduate students in applied mathematics, physics, engineering, and related disciplines. Praise for Transionospheric Synthetic Aperture Imaging: “I perceive that this text will mark a turning point in the field of synthetic aperture radar research and practice. I believe this text will instigate a new era of more rigorous image formation relieving the research, development and practitioner communities of inconsistent physical assumptions and numerical approaches.” – Richard Albanese, Senior Scientist, Albanese Defense and Energy Development LLC