A large 3D target with small inner details : A difficult cocktail for imaging purposes without a-priori knowledge on the scatterers geometry,

International audienceTo accurately image a complex shape but large 3D target whose scattered field has been measured in an anechoic environment at high frequencies (18 and 20 GHz), we have developed a complete imaging process, combining experimental and numerical works. The adopted strategy exploits the maximum of available information related to the measurements, both in terms of quantity and accuracy without any a priori knowledge on the scatterer geometry. We first determine the position and then the dimension of the spatial domain which contains the target. This localization is realized directly from the analysis of the spectrum of the measured fields taking into account the random noise disturbing the measurement points. Then, we construct a quantitative permittivity map of this investigation domain thanks to an iterative inversion procedure based on a Bayesian formulation where the spatial diversity of the real random noise is adequately exploited. By following this strategy, we have been able to quantitatively retrieve the target both in terms of dimension, shape and electromagnetic properties, even with a very limited number of measurement points and for a single polarization case. With such a process, even spheres with a diameter equal to l/3 are correctly reconstructed at 20 GHz