The Euler decomposition and its application to sea clutter analysis

Re-examining the Euler decomposition technique we indicate that some previous decomposition algorithms are incomplete and contain errors. We provide a correct and complete set of decomposition formulae in this paper. Our second contribution is the elimination of the so-called decomposition ambiguity by using LpsilaHospitalpsilas rule so that the mapping between a scattering matrix and its Euler parameters is unique for all scattering mechanisms. As a precursor to ship detection studies, we apply the decomposition to sea clutter analysis. We find that the scattering mechanisms of the highest VV and HH returns from sea spikes can be interpreted as vertically and horizontally oriented thin wires, respectively.