Radar image simulation from fully polarimetric scattering of heterogeneous canopy surface

Polarimetric imagery of high resolution SAR is one of most important advances in microwave remote sensing. This paper, using the fully polarimetric Mueller matrix solution and ray tracing method, simulates radar images for fully polarimetric scattering from a heterogeneous canopy surface. Non-uniform 3D structures and non-uniform distribution of the multi-components of the surface canopy are taken into account. Simulated image texture demonstrates the spatial variation of the radar echoes due to canopy 3D-heterogeneity, and is also compared with an AirSAR image in the P,L,C bands.