Physics-based simulation of high-resolution polarimetric SAR images of forested areas

In this paper, we present a comprehensive simulation of high-resolution, polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of forested areas. We model forest stands using realistic fractal trees over a lossy ground. The total response of the stand is calculated by coherently summing the responses of all the individual scattering components of the fractal trees, similar to the approach in Y.-C. Lin (1997, 1999). The major advantages of our simulation method are twofold: its potential high fidelity, since it employs a physics-based forest scattering model, and its ability to model high-resolution SAR response. We introduce our simulation method beginning with a description of our fractal mathematical models of trees. Next, we consider the polarimetric formulation of the received SAR signal from a forest of fractal trees. We describe methods of more efficiently calculating the received SAR signal and present a simple example of the efficiency of the simulation.