Phase sensitivity analysis of spaceborne transmitter - stationary ground-based receiver bistatic SAR interferometry with one imaging channel

Abstract

This paper makes an analysis of repeat-pass bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry performed with a stationary ground-based receiver and a satellite as transmitter of opportunity. A numerical approach is developed in order to asses the sensitivity of the repeat-pass across-track bistatic interferometric phase to height (relative to the digital elevation model used for focusing) and displacements (in the bistatic lines of sight, between consecutive acquisitions). Compared to the monostatic case, the conversion from height/displacement to phase is not straightforward and is dependent on the considered geometry. The method is applied for a bistatic SAR interferogram generated over an area of Bucharest city, Romania, using a ground receiver with one imaging channel and Sentinel-1A/B as transmitter of opportunity.