The Wishart-Kotz classifier for multilook polarimetric SAR data

We presents a classifier for multilook polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) data based upon a new distribution model for the polarimetric sample covariance matrix: the complex Wishart-Kotz distribution. This is a highly flexible model, which exhibits the heavy tails needed to fit the data found in high resolution PolSAR images. In addition, they do not contain the mathematical special functions that limit the usefulness of alternative heavy-tailed distributions by inflicting high computational cost and numerical instability. Classification results on simulated and real data are presented.