Target detection beneath foliage using polarimetric synthetic aperture radar interferometry

In this paper, we demonstrate how the new technology of polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry can be used to enhance the detection of targets hidden beneath foliage. The key idea is to note that for random volume scattering, the interferometric coherence is invariant to changes in wave polarization. On the other hand, in the presence of a target the coherence changes with polarization. We show that under general symmetry constraints this change is linear in the complex coherence plane. These observations can be used to devise a filter to suppress the returns from foliage clutter while maintaining the signal from hidden targets. We illustrate the algorithm by applying it to coherent L-band SAR simulations of corner reflectors hidden in a forest. The simulations are performed using a voxel-based vector wave propagation and scattering code coupled to detailed structural models of tree architecture. In this way, the spatial statistics and radar signal fluctuations closely match those observed for natural terrain. We demonstrate significant improvements in the detection of hidden targets, which suggests that this technology has great potential for future foliage penetration (FOPEN) applications.