Analysis of a Residual Model for the Decomposition of Polarimetric SAR Data

Accurate estimation of the double-bounce scattering fd and surface scattering fs coefficients with Freeman-Durden decomposition is still difficult. This difficulty arises because overestimation of the volume scattering energy contribution Pv leads to negative values for fd and fs. A generalized residual model is introduced to estimate fd and fs. The relationship between Pv and the residual model is analyzed. Eigenvalues computed from the residual model must be positive to explain physical scattering mechanisms. The authors employ a new volumetric scattering model to minimize Pv as calculated by several decomposition methods. It is concluded that decreasing Pv can help reduce negative energy. This conclusion is validated using actual polarimetric SAR data.