High-resolution rock abundance derivation of lunar cold spot craters based on RA-SAR model

Abstract

The distribution of rock abundance (RA) on the lunar surface plays a pivotal role in understanding its geological evolution. This study focuses on the derivation of high-resolution RA data for lunar cold spot craters using Mini-RF (Miniature Radio Frequency) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. Firstly, terrain correction was applied to the SAR data. Secondly, the correlation between the Stokes parameters ($S_1$, $S_2$, $S_3$, and $S_4$) and RA was examined using optically-derived RA data, which aligns with the resolution of the Mini-RF SAR images. By plotting scatter diagrams showing the relationships between the Stokes parameters and the optically-derived RA, strong statistical associations were established. Finally, based on these findings, we formulated a regression-based RA-SAR model. This model was applied to other lunar cold spot craters in order to derive their high-resolution RA distributions. The experimental results show that the model yields highly precise outcomes when validated against both Diviner RA and optical data. The study provides a new approach for inferring rock distribution across the lunar surface using SAR data, and offers valuable insights for advancing lunar geological research.