Remote sensing of ocean waves by along-track interferometric synthetic aperture radar

A new wave retrieval method for the Along-Track Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (AT-InSAR) phase image is presented. The new algorithm, named parametric retrieval algorithm (PRA), uses the full nonlinear mapping relations. It differs from previous retrieval algorithms in that it does not require a priori information about the sea state or the wind vector from scatterometer data. Instead, it combines the observed AT-InSAR phase spectrum and assumed wind vector to estimate the wind sea spectrum. The method has been validated using several C-band and X-band HH-polarized AT-InSAR observations collocated with spectral buoy measurements. In this paper, X-band and C-band HH-polarized AT-InSAR phase images of ocean waves are first used to study AT-InSAR wave imaging fidelity. The resulting phase spectra are quantitatively compared with forward-mapped in situ directional wave spectra collocated with the AT-InSAR observations. Subsequently, we combine the parametric retrieval algorithm (PRA) with X-band and C-band HH-polarized AT-InSAR phase images to retrieve ocean wave spectra. The results show that the ocean wavelengths, wave directions, and significant wave heights estimated from the retrieved ocean wave spectra are in agreement with the buoy measurements.

On the nonlinear integral transform of an ocean wave spectrum into an along-track interferometric synthetic aperture radar image spectrum

We present a new nonlinear integral transform relating the ocean wave spectrum to the along-track interferometric synthetic aperture radar (AT-INSAR) image spectrum. The AT-INSAR, which is a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) employing two antennas displaced along the platform's flight direction, is considered to be a better instrument for imaging ocean waves than the SAR. This is because the AT-INSAR yields the phase spectrum and not only the amplitude spectrum as with the conventional SAR. While the SAR and AT-INSAR amplitude spectra depend strongly on the modulation of the normalized radar cross section (NRCS) by the long ocean waves, which is poorly known, the phase spectrum depends only weakly on this modulation. By measuring the phase difference between the signals received by both antennas, AT-INSAR measures the radial component of the orbital velocity associated with the ocean waves, which is related to the ocean wave height field by a well-known transfer function. The nonlinear integral transform derived in this paper differs from the one previously derived by Bao et al. [1999] by an additional term containing the derivative of the radial component of the orbital velocity associated with the long ocean waves. By carrying out numerical simulations, we show that, in general, this additional term cannot be neglected. Furthermore, we present two new quasi-linear approximations to the nonlinear integral transform relating the ocean wave spectrum to the AT-INSAR phase spectrum.

Numerical simulation and validation of ocean waves measured by an Along-Track Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar

A new nonlinear integral transform of ocean wave spectra into Along-Track Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (ATI-SAR) image spectra is described. ATI-SAR phase image spectra are calculated for various sea states and radar configurations based on the nonlinear integral transform. The numerical simulations show that the slant range to velocity ratio (R/V), significant wave height to ocean wavelength ratio (H-s/lambda), the baseline (2B) and incident angle (theta) affect ATI-SAR imaging. The ATI-SAR imaging theory is validated by means of Two X-band, HH-polarized ATI-SAR phase images of ocean waves and eight C-band, HH-polarized ATI-SAR phase image spectra of ocean waves. It is shown that ATI-SAR phase image spectra are in agreement with those calculated by forward mapping in situ directional wave spectra collected simultaneously with available ATI-SAR observations. ATI-SAR spectral correlation coefficients between observed and simulated are greater than 0.6 and are not sensitive to the degree of nonlinearity. However, the ATI-SAR phase image spectral turns towards the range direction, even if the real ocean wave direction is 30 degrees. It is also shown that the ATI-SAR imaging mechanism is significantly affected by the degree of velocity bunching nonlinearity, especially for high values of R/V and H-s/lambda.

A parametric method of retrieving ocean wave spectra from synthetic aperture radar images

A parametric method that extracts the ocean wave directional spectra from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image is presented. The 180 degrees ambiguity of SAR image and the loss of information beyond the azimuthal cutoff can be overcome with this method. The ocean wave spectra can be obtained from SAR image directly by using iteration inversion mapping method with forward nonlinear mapping. Some numerical experiments have been made by using ERS-1 satellite SAR imagette data. The ocean wave direction retrieved from SAR imagette data is in agreement with the wind direction from the scatterometer data.

尺度缩小合成孔径激光成像雷达的孔径合成实验

设计了一种尺度缩小的合成孔径激光成像雷达(SAIL),在实验室平台上模拟实施远场传输条件,相应地解决了波前测量和外差质量监视技术,实现了一个目标点的方位向孔径合成实验,实验结果与理论预测相近。

合成孔径激光成像雷达(Ⅱ):空间相位偏置发射望远镜

报道一种可以进行空间相位偏置的光学望远镜,用作合成孔径激光成像雷达中的光学发射天线。在望远镜内放置相位调制平板,控制望远镜的离焦量和位相调制平板的相位函数,能够在激光望远镜的照明区产生可控制的附加空间相位二次项,灵活改变激光照明波前,以在目标回波接收信号中产生雷达运动方向上的所需的二次项相位历程,因此能够实现特定的方位向成像分辨率。

Near-Space Wide-Swath Radar Imaging With Multiaperture Antenna

Near-space, defined as the altitude region between 20 and 100 km, offers many capabilities that are not accessible for low Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites or airplanes because it is above storm and not constrained by orbital mechanics and high fuel consumption. Hence, a high flying speed can be obtained for the maneuvering vehicles operating in near-space. This offers a promising solution to simultaneous high-resolution and wide-swath synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging. As such, one near-space wide-swath SAR imaging technique is presented in this letter. The system configuration, signal model, and imaging scheme are described. An example near-space SAR system is designed, and its imaging performance is analyzed. Simulation results show that near-space maneuvering vehicle SAR indeed seems to be a promising solution to wide-swath SAR imaging.

Ocean wave imaging mechanism by imaging radar

Analytical representations of the high frequency spectra of ocean wave and its variation due to the variation of ocean surface current are derived from the wave-number spectrum balance equation. The ocean surface imaging formulation of real aperture radar (RAR) is given using electromagnetic wave backscattering theory of ocean surface and the modulations of ocean surface winds, currents and their variations to RAR are described. A general representation of the phase modulation induced by the ocean surface motion is derived according to standard synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging theory. The detectability of ocean current and sea bottom topography by imaging radar is discussed. The results constitute the theoretical basis for detecting ocean wave fields, ocean surface winds, ocean surface current fields, sea bottom topography, internal wave and so on.

合成孔径激光成像雷达(Ⅰ):离焦和相位偏置望远镜接收天线

把合成孔径激光成像雷达的目标衍射区分为三个区域,提出采用离焦或者附加空间相位调制板的光学接收望远镜补偿回波像差。当目标处于菲涅耳衍射区时可采用离焦或偏置望远镜补偿回波二次项离焦像差并产生用于孔径合成的二次项相位历程;目标处于夫琅和费衍射区时可以采用离焦或偏置望远镜补偿回波二次项离焦像差但不产生相位历程;目标处于瑞利-索末菲衍射区域时不可能补偿回波高阶像差。

合成孔径激光成像雷达(Ⅲ):双向环路发射接收望远镜

提出了一种用于合成孔径激光成像雷达的双向环路结构的发射接收望远镜,双向环路包括发射4-f转像系统、接收4-f转像系统和独立的望远镜。发射通道中设置离焦和相位调制平板偏置,接收通道中设置离焦和相位平板偏置。控制发射离焦量,发射相位调制函数,接收离焦量,接收相位调制函数,用同一个望远镜可以同时实现空间二次项相位附加偏置的激光发射和消除目标点散射回波接收波面像差的离焦光学接收,并产生雷达运动方向上合适的和可控制的相位二次项历程,从而实现孔径合成成像。详细介绍了系统设计,给出了从发射到光电外差接收的全过程传输方程。

Design of NRAs having higher aperture opening ratio and autocorrelation compression ratio by means of a global optimization method

When noises considerations are made, nonredundant arrays (NRAs) are endowed with many advantages which other arrays e.g., uniformly redundant arrays (URAs) do not possess in applications of coded aperture imaging. However, lower aperture opening ratio limits the applications of NRA in practice. In this paper, we present a computer searching method based on a global optimization algorithm named DIRECT to design NRAs. Compared with the existing NRAs e.g., Golay's NRAs, which are well known and widely used in various applications, NRAs found by our method have higher aperture opening ratio and auto correlation compression ratio. These advantages make our aperture arrays be very useful for practical applications especially for which of aperture size are limited. Here, we also present some aperture arrays we found. These aperture arrays have an interesting property that they belong to both NRA and URA. (C) 2006 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Speed ambiguity in hurricane wind retrieval from SAR imagery

Under strong ocean surface wind conditions, the normalized radar cross section of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is dampened at certain incident angles, compared with the signals under moderate winds. This causes a wind speed ambiguity problem in wind speed retrievals from SAR, because two solutions may exist for each backscattered signal. This study shows that the problem is ubiquitous in the images acquired by operational space-borne SAR sensors. Moreover, the problem is more severe for the near range and range travelling winds. To remove this ambiguity, a method was developed based on characteristics of the hurricane wind structure. A SAR image of Hurricane Rita (2005) was analysed to demonstrate the wind speed ambiguity problem and the method to improve the wind speed retrievals. Our conclusions suggest that a speed ambiguity removal algorithm must be used for wind retrievals from SAR in intense storms and hurricanes.

一种基于编码孔径成像原理的三维成像方法

三维成像技术因其应用广泛而备受关注。根据编码孔径成像的基本原理，提出了一种非相干可见光三维成像方法。这种两步成像方法的第一步采用空间位置编码的照相机阵列对物体拍照，在第二步中，首先将照相机阵列拍照得到的物体照片根据拍照时的位置关系合成为一幅图像，然后采用计算机程序模拟光学反投影解码方法解码再现出物体不同深度的表面分层图像。设计了初步的实验，该实验采用1部照相机依次在各编码位置对物体模型拍照，编码形式是包含9个点的无冗余阵列形式，物体模型只包含2个深度层次，布置在距离照相机阵列1．5m的地方。实验得到了信噪

应用分割矩阵全局优化算法设计用于编码孔径成像的二维阵列

二维编码阵列是编码孔径成像的关键部件，它直接决定着再现的层析图像的质量。目前仍没有一种理想的二维阵列既具有较高的量子收集率，又具有良好的层析成像特性。采用一种新的方法——分割矩阵（DIRECT）全局优化算法，设计二维阵列，该算法适用于多变量“黑盒”问题的求解，并且具有比其他优化算法更快的收敛速度。其目的是设计一类自相关函数旁瓣最大值为1，同时具有最火填充率的二维编码阵列。理论分析及实验结果表明：用该算法搜索得到的二维阵列既具有较高的量子收集率，又具有良好的层析成像特性。