Chirp-Scaling based True Amplitude Imaging for Synthetic Aperture Radar

The Chirp-Scaling Algorithm (CSA) is one of the most widely used synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image reconstruction method. However, its applicability is limited to straight flight trajectories and monostatic SAR. We present a new mathematical treatment of the CSA from the perspective of Fourier Integral Operators theory. Our treatment leads to a chirp-scaling-based true amplitude imaging algorithm, which places the visible edges of the scene at the correct locations and directions with the correct strength. Furthermore, it provides a framework for the extension of the chirp-scaling based approach to non-ideal imaging scenarios as well as other SAR imaging modalities such as bistatic-SAR and hitchhiker-SAR.