On the performance of polarimetric target detection algorithms

The performance of six polarimetric target detection algorithms is analyzed. The detection performance of the optimal polarimetric detector (OPD), the identity-likelihood-ratio-test (ILRT), the polarimetric whitening filter (PWF), the single-polarimetric-channel detector, the span detector, and the power maximization synthesis (PMS) detector is compared. Results for both probabilistic and deterministic targets in the presence of complex-Gaussian clutter are presented. The results of these studies indicate that the PWF and the ILRT typically achieve near optimal performance. Each remaining detection algorithm typically yields performance that is degraded compared to the performance of the OPD, the PWF, and the ILRT