Dynamic multistatic synthetic aperture radar (DMSAR) with image reconstruction algorithms and analysis

Abstract

The imaging of ground objects by circular synthetic aperture radar (CSAR) is a well-known technique that can benefit from the use of multiple receivers in a multistatic configuration. Although static receivers have been employed to determine the location of one or more airborne objects, the use of multiple dynamically positioned airborne receivers with an airborne transmitter represents a novel application of SAR technology for the detection of ground objects. This paper presents theory, algorithms, and experimental results for dynamic multistatic synthetic aperture radar (DMSAR) for airborne sensing of ground-based objects. We emphasize the proper placement of receivers in relationship to the transmitter and object area, in order to achieve a specific quality of image reconstruction. Additionally, we discuss performance issues pertaining to the computation of DMSAR on high-performance platforms such as clusters of graphics processing units or hybrid processors. Example results and analysis are taken from synthetic or public-domain data.