Bloch Sphere Representation of Polarimetric SAR Targets

Abstract

This letter uses the Bloch sphere formalism to introduce a quantum-inspired representation of full polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) targets. By mapping SAR target vectors to qubit states in an orthonormal trihedral–dihedral basis, we demonstrate that scattering mechanisms can be effectively modeled as quantum states. Our method constructs a real 4-D Stokes-like vector from the expectation values of Pauli spin operators, providing a geometrically interpretable Bloch vector. This vector precisely locates target states on the unit sphere, enabling intuitive visualization of scattering behavior for polarimetric analysis. The proposed qubit representation enhances interpretability and paves the way for quantum-computational processing of polarimetric SAR data in remote sensing applications.