Inverse synthetic aperture ladar imaging with the Range Instantaneous Doppler algorithm

Inverse synthetic aperture ladar (ISAL), which operates at visible or infrared wavelength, is more sensitive to maneuver than inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR). In this paper, we propose the Range Instantaneous Doppler (RID) algorithm for very high resolution ISAL imaging of maneuvering targets. The Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD) and the Radon transform are used for computing the time-varying Doppler spectrum of maneuvering targets. The data processing of the RID algorithm is illustrated. The simulation shows that the RID algorithm can reconstruct a clearer ISAL image of the maneuvering target than the conventional rang Doppler (RD) algorithm. This is a crucial step in developing a real ISAL system.