Introduction to Microwave Remote Sensing

Description

Introduction to Microwave Remote Sensing offers an extensive overview of this versatile and extremely precise technology for technically oriented undergraduates and graduate students. This textbook emphasizes an important shift in conceptualization and directs it toward students with prior knowledge of optical remote sensing: the author dispels any linkage between microwave and optical remote sensing. Instead, he constructs the concept of microwave remote sensing by comparing it to the process of audio perception, explaining the workings of the ear as a metaphor for microwave instrumentation. This volume takes an application-driven approach. Instead of describing the technology and then its uses, this textbook justifies the need for measurement then explains how microwave technology addresses this need. Following a brief summary of the field and a history of the use of microwaves, the book explores the physical properties of microwaves and the polarimetric properties of electromagnetic waves. It examines the interaction of microwaves with matter, analyzes passive atmospheric and passive surface measurements, and describes the operation of altimeters and scatterometers. The textbook concludes by explaining how high resolution images are created using radars, and how techniques of interferometry can be applied to both passive and active sensors.  Read more... Abstract: Introduction to Microwave Remote Sensing offers an extensive overview of this versatile and extremely precise technology for technically oriented undergraduates and graduate students. This textbook emphasizes an important shift in conceptualization and directs it toward students with prior knowledge of optical remote sensing: the author dispels any linkage between microwave and optical remote sensing. Instead, he constructs the concept of microwave remote sensing by comparing it to the process of audio perception, explaining the workings of the ear as a metaphor for microwave instrumentation. This volume takes an application-driven approach. Instead of describing the technology and then its uses, this textbook justifies the need for measurement then explains how microwave technology addresses this need. Following a brief summary of the field and a history of the use of microwaves, the book explores the physical properties of microwaves and the polarimetric properties of electromagnetic waves. It examines the interaction of microwaves with matter, analyzes passive atmospheric and passive surface measurements, and describes the operation of altimeters and scatterometers. The textbook concludes by explaining how high resolution images are created using radars, and how techniques of interferometry can be applied to both passive and active sensors Content: Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents 1: WHY MICROWAVES? 1.1 Overview of Microwave Systems 1.1.1 Information from Passive Microwave Imagers 1.1.2 Information from Passive Microwave Sounders 1.1.3 Information from Active Microwave Instruments 1.1.4 How Can This Information be Used? 2: A BRIEF HISTORY OF MICROWAVES 2.1 In the beginning ... 2.2 Out of the Darkness: Maxwell and Hertz 2.3 Radios, Death Rays and Radar 2.4 The Venus Ruler and Little Green Men 2.5 Imaging Radar 2.6 Microwave Remote Sensing from Space 2.7 Further Reading. 3: PHYSICAL FUNDAMENTALS3.1 Physical Properties of EM Waves 3.1.1 Electromagnetic Radiation as Waves 3.1.2 Complex Wave Description 3.2 Energy and Power of Waves 3.2.1 Polarisation 3.3 Combination of Waves 3.3.1 Coherence 3.4 The Most Important Section in This Book 3.4.1 Phase as a (Relative) Distance Measure 3.4.2 Combining Two Waves in 2-D 3.4.3 Quantifying the Interference Pattern 3.4.4 Passive Case 3.4.5 Multiple Source Interference Pattern 3.4.6 Beamwidth and Angular Resolution 3.4.7 Huygens' Wavelets 3.4.8 More on Coherence 3.5 Propagation of Microwaves. 3.5.1 Through Lossy Media3.5.2 Moving Sources 3.6 Where Do Microwaves Come From? 3.6.1 How Are They Produced in Nature? 3.6.2 Radiation Laws 3.6.3 How Are Microwaves Produced Artificially? 3.7 Further Reading 4: POLARIMETRY 4.1 Describing Polarised Waves 4.1.1 Summary of Linear Basis 4.2 Superposition of Polarised Waves 4.3 Representing Polarisation 4.3.1 Poincaré sphere 4.3.2 Mathematical Description 4.3.3 Stokes Vector 4.3.4 Brightness Stokes Vector 4.3.5 Partially Polarised Waves 4.3.6 The Stokes Scattering Matrix 4.3.7 The Scattering Matrix 4.3.8 Target Vector. 4.3.9 Covariance Matrix4.4 Passive Polarimetry 4.5 Polarimetry in Radar 4.5.1 Radar Polarimeters 4.5.2 Polarimetric Synthesis and Response Curves 4.6 Important Polarimetric Properties 4.6.1 Unpolarised Power 4.6.2 Degree of Polarisation and Coefficient of Variation 4.6.3 Polarimetric Ratios 4.6.4 Coherent Parameters 4.6.5 Polarimetric Decomposition 4.7 Further Reading 5: MICROWAVES IN THE REAL WORLD 5.1 Continuous Media and the Atmosphere 5.1.1 Radiative Transfer Theory 5.1.2 Microwave Brightness Temperature 5.1.3 Spectral Lines 5.1.4 Line Broadening 5.1.5 Faraday Rotation. 5.2 Interaction With Discrete Objects5.2.1 Diffraction 5.2.2 Importance of Diffraction 5.2.3 Scattering 5.2.4 Radar Cross-section 5.2.5 Importance of Scattering Theory 5.3 Scattering and Emission from Volumes 5.3.1 Transmission Through Volumes 5.3.2 Emission 5.3.3 Scattering 5.4 Reflection and Emission from Smooth Surfaces 5.4.1 Scattering from Smooth Boundaries 5.4.2 Emission from Smooth Boundaries 5.4.3 Summary 5.5 Scattering and Emission from Rough Surfaces 5.5.1 Definition of "Rough" 5.5.2 Effects of Roughness 5.5.3 Summary 5.6 Non-Random (Periodic) Surfaces.