A Geometric Error Model for Misaligned Calibration Target in Passive Microwave Remote-Sensing Systems

We present a geometric error model associated with calibration-target misalignment in passive microwave remote-sensing systems. The developed analytic formulation is universally applicable to both lateral and rotational misalignment conditions. Numerical simulations are performed on two practical blackbody targets of different sizes used as radiation references for passive microwave remote sensing. The significance of this work is to furnish a framework of uncertainty analysis due to target misalignment and to provide a reference for alignment requirements based on passive radiometer measurement sensitivity.