Detection of Metal Objects Against Mountain Ranges Using Polarization Transfer Functions

The paper presents the results of field experimental research of polarization properties of the signals backscattered by metal objects of various configurations against the background of mountain ranges. It is shown that the remote sensing objects polarization transfer functions received on the basis of operator decomposition of the polarization scattering matrix have similar statistical properties for all the investigated metal objects whereas polarization characteristics of radar signals backscattered by the mountains are significantly different. The received results demonstrate the possibility of detecting metal objects with small cross-sections against the background of intense backscattering from mountains using transfer functions. That contributes for enhancement of remote sensing means for search-and-rescue works.