RF/Microwave Imaging of Sparse Targets in Urban Areas

This letter deals with the localization of sparse targets in urban areas. The problem is tackled in the framework of 2-D linear inverse scattering accounting for the complexity of the scenario, and a sparse optimization scheme is exploited as an effective technique capable of providing high-resolution images. In the proposed approach, due to the noncanonical scenario to be considered, the kernel of the relevant integral equation is computed numerically via the finite-difference time-domain method. The achievable reconstruction capabilities are assessed by means of a numerical analysis, which compares the results based on sparse optimization to those provided by the truncated singular values decomposition algorithm.