Polarimetry of Man-Made Objects

Abstract

Polarimetry has already been an active area of research for about fifty years. A primary motivation for research in scatter polarimetry is to understand the interaction of polarized radiation with natural scenes and to search for useful discriminants to classify targets at a distance. In order to study the polarization response of various targets, the matrix models (i.e., 2 × 2 coherent Jones and Sinclair and 4 × 4 average power density Mueller (Stokes) and Kennaugh matrices etc.) and coherent and incoherent target decomposition techniques has been used. This come to be the standard tools for targets characterization. Polarimetric decomposition methods allow a physical interpretation of the different scattering mechanisms inside a resolution cell. Thanks to such decompositions, it is possible to extract information related to the intrinsic physical and geometrical properties of the studied targets. This type of information is inestimable if intensity is measured only. The goal of the chapter is to explain the basics of polarimetric theory, outline its current state of the art, and review some of important applications to study the scattering behaviour of various man-made and urban targets like buildings (tall & short), ships, oil rigs and spills, mines, bridges etc. both in optical range and in radar polarimetry.