Target Vector Reality Criteria and the relation between covariance and Kennaugh matrix descriptors of partially coherent backscatter

While the equivalence between the covariance and Kennaugh matrix formalisms is well recognized, the formal machinery for their comparison is not well developed. We show that attention to the concept of target vector reality facilitates closer linkage between the formalisms. Relabelling of the target vector axes enables graphical interpretation of the polarimetric properties to be made directly from a target vector´s real and imaginary components on the Poincaré sphere.