Imaging of Martian surface and subsurface with high-frequency radar sounder

A physics model for the electromagnetic scattering from large-scale rough surface of layered medium is established. Stratton-Chu integral equation and Kirchhoff approximation are adopted to calculate the electromagnetic scattering field. The Gaussian random rough surface is selected to simulate the actual rough surface of layered medium. The scattering echo is detected with a single-station nadir-looking radar sounder. A comparison of radar echoes from Martian mare areas with different roughness is demonstrated. A radar sounder echo simulator is developed, which could be used to validate the radar echoes processing and to support the interpretation of Martian exploration data. By using the simulator, the B-scan images of Martian highland areas with different crater density are studied. Besides, special attentions are paid to the effect of radar waveforms on the B-scan imaging of highland areas. Simulation-based results show that the method presented is feasible in the detection of Martian subsurface structure.