Polarimetric SAR Target Detection Using the Reflection Symmetry

This letter addresses the polarimetric synthetic aperture radar target detection using the magnitude of the (2, 3) term in the sample averaged coherency matrix. The theoretical analysis demonstrates that such term reveals the difference between the nonreflection symmetric targets and natural clutters. The statistical models for such term are derived within different degrees of homogeneity. Based on the statistical models, an automatic constant-false-alarm-rate detection scheme is completed. The parameter estimation and the solution for the detection threshold are given in detail. Experimental results demonstrate the capability of the proposed approach for detecting ships, oil stores, buildings, etc., in homogeneous and heterogeneous areas.