An effective SAR-GMTI technique based on eigen-decomposition of the covariance matrix

An effective multi-channel SAR-GMTI technique based on eigen-decomposition of the covariance matrix is proposed. The variation of the sum of small eigenvalues of the covariance matrix is used to detect moving targets which can avoid clutter suppression. The radial velocity of the moving target is estimated by two steps. Firstly, using the interferometric phase of two SAR images to get the coarse radial velocity estimation, then the more precise radial velocity is obtained by searching the space-domain steering vector of the moving target. It overcomes the sensitivity of the interferometric phase to clutter and noise. The performance of the approach is analyzed in detail. The merit of the presented technique is demonstrated by simulated and measured SAR data.