A Novel Imaging Mode for Simultaneous Single-/Dual- and Quad-Pol SAR Acquisition over Swaths of Different Widths

Abstract

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) concepts based on digital beamforming (DBF) in elevation and either multiple azimuth channels or multiple receive beams, e.g., staggered SAR, allow high-resolution imaging of wide swaths and are therefore well suited for the systematic observation of dynamic processes on the Earth’s surface. While these concepts are compatible with quad-polarimetric (quad-pol) operation, due to severe ambiguity constraints, the achievable swath in quad-pol mode is narrower than in single- (or dual-) pol mode. Therefore, either single- (or dual-) pol data over a wider swath or quad-pol data over a narrower swath can be acquired. This paper proposes a novel SAR acquisition mode, based on pulse-to-pulse alternation of the antenna pattern on transmit, that delivers at the same time single- (or dual-) pol data over a wider swath and quad-pol data over a narrower swath at the expense of an acceptable degradation of the ambiguity performance. This technique yields remarkable benefits for the design and operation of future SAR systems and represents an effective solution to manage and resolve conflicting user requirements.