A New Slow PRI Variation Scheme for Multichannel SAR High-Resolution Wide-Swath Imaging

Krieger G (2018)

Publication Type: Conference contribution

Publication year: 2018

Conference Proceedings Title: International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS)

URI: https://elib.dlr.de/119687/

Abstract

In the design of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging systems, high-resolution and wide swath are inherently incompatible requirements. As shown by extensive research in this field, advanced instrument modes and architectures employing multiple receive channels in elevation and/or azimuth represent a feasible solution for this conflict. This paper addresses a novel high-resolution wide-swath SAR imaging mode that uses multiple elevation and azimuth beams in combination with a slow variation of the pulse repetition interval (PRI) scheme. It is shown that this new mode enables a high-performance SAR system with a rather compact antenna. As an example, the design of an L-band system is presented that is capable of imaging a 400-km wide swath with an azimuth resolution of 5 m in single polarization. A detailed analysis reveals that an excellent performance is achieved by combining a digital feed with 3 azimuth and 30 elevation channels using an unfurlable reflector with a diameter of 12 m. In comparison to the staggered SAR mode of Tandem-L, which employs a reflector with a diameter of 15 m, the proposed scheme reduces the required antenna aperture by more than 35 \%. In addition, the same architecture enables the operation in a multichannel staggered SAR mode, which allows for the mapping of a 200-km wide swath with an even higher azimuth resolution of less than 2.5 m in a fully polarimetric mode.

Authors with CRIS profile

Gerhard Krieger

Additional Organisation(s)

Professur für Kognitive Radarsysteme für die Fernerkundung

Involved external institutions

Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR) / German Aerospace Center DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Krieger, G. (2018). A New Slow PRI Variation Scheme for Multichannel SAR High-Resolution Wide-Swath Imaging. In International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS).

MLA:

Krieger, Gerhard. "A New Slow PRI Variation Scheme for Multichannel SAR High-Resolution Wide-Swath Imaging." Proceedings of the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) 2018.

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