A system model and inversion for synthetic aperture radar imaging

A system model and its corresponding inversion for synthetic aperture radar imaging are presented. The system model incorporates the spherical nature of a radar´s radiation pattern at far field. The inverse method based on this model integrates the recorded signals at various coordinates of a translational radar (linear array) via a spatial Fourier transform. The transformed data are shown to provide samples of the spatial Fourier transform of the target´s reflectivity function. The inverse method can be modified to incorporate deviations of the radar´s motion from its prescribed straight-line path. These principles are also applicable in inverse synthetic aperture imaging of a rotational target (circular array)