2D and 3D Convolutional and Correlation SAR Imaging

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images and volumes may be produced through multiple antenna or multiple pass scenarios. SAR imaging runs a gamut of techniques from convolution of the recieved data with the modeled SAR aperture impulse response to correlation of the spherical wave function with the recieved wave. The former has the advantage that it produces an orthogonal point spread function in each dimension allowing easy decomposition into exponential function model of a waves. The convolution however is only valid around the aim point for a spotlight image. Modifications presented here extend the applicable envelope of use. All potential procedures and their sequence of operations are presented and examined for valued aspects including the amenability to decomposition and its validity. The extension from 2D SAR to 3D SAR may also be afforded to the production of 2D SAR techniques ranging between the convolution and correlation and intervening techniques with varying measures of success. As in other SAR data collections the aperture may be subsampled with imaging resolution and coverage implications. This range of use including applicable aperture size, sampling rate and squint are explored for 2D and 3D scenarios. 2D and 3D impulse response functions their accuracy and its extent throughout the image or volume are calculated. Example images and SAR image volumes are presented.