A time-domain raw signal Simulator for interferometric SAR

In this paper, we present a time-domain (TD) raw signal simulator for an interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR). We consider the case of a spaceborne SAR operating in stripmap, spotlight, and hybrid modes, but the case of an airborne SAR can be considered as well. The spaceborne platform is considered as traveling on its nominal (Keplerian) orbit, and the targets are located on an ellipsoidal earth. We describe an accurate TD simulator, highlighting its usefulness in studying the effects on the SAR impulse response and on images from targets with limited extension due to operational conditions different from the nominal one.