On spatial aspect decorrelation in SAR and ISAR

This paper is dedicated to the phenomenon that radar observations from large angular variations cannot be integrated coherently if standard SAR/ISAR signal processing is applied. The reasons for this spatial aspect decorrelation are elucidated and a methodology for its characterization is introduced. Finally, the new methodology is used to compare the spatial aspect decorrelation of the standard point scatterer signal model to a signal model where the elementary scatterers are assumed to be tilted wires.