Maximum likelihood array SAR interferometry

Abstract

Conventional SAR interferometers derive the surface height from an estimate of the phase difference between the SAR processed echoes received by two displaced phase centers. This paper introduces a maximum likelihood algorithm to process the SAR data from an array of K phase centers. The accuracy of the new technique is derived and compared to the conventional one. It is shown that this new approach to SAR interferometry provides better accuracy, together with adaptivity to the look angle and reduced phase ambiguity.