Physicalbased models of speckle for high resolution SAR images

In this paper we present a physical model for the description of the speckle in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. The proposed model highlights the analytical dependence of the speckle characteristics on the surface roughness and the sensor parameters. The illuminated surface is represented using the fractal geometry. In addition, a SAR raw signal simulator able to generate SAR images whose speckle characteristics are coherent with the observed surface properties is presented. Index Terms — Synthetic aperture radar, speckle 1