Modeling the Effects of Oscillator Phase Noise and Synchronization on Multistatic SAR Tomography

Recent results have highlighted the potential ability of bi- and multistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) tomographers to measure vegetation structure and surface topography. However, the quality of SAR tomographic measurements with multiple platforms is impacted by the phase instability in each platform’s oscillator. The phase noise, if uncompensated, may lead to degradation in the SAR data products such as increased sidelobe levels, reduced peak amplitude of the impulse response, and a low frequency phase modulation, among others. In this work, we model and examine the effects of oscillator phase noise on tomographic SAR signals for spaceborne missions flying in formation. A synchronization process is also adopted to help mitigate oscillator phase errors by measuring and predicting relative phase offsets at prescribed temporal intervals. A simulation tool was developed to examine the point target response as seen by realistic satellite constellations in low Earth orbit using different quality oscillators, radar configurations, and synchronization configurations. A first analysis of a multi-platform tomographic SAR mission suggests that a system without a dedicated physical link with minimal effects on the point target response may be achievable using current oscillators. Our analysis also shows that phase noise has differing effects on multistatic radar modes. Tomograms formed with a system operating in SIMO mode are the most affected by oscillator phase noise error, followed by MIMO, with negligible effects on the SAR-SISO mode. These trade studies and the simulation tool can be used to help inform the design of future multistatic radar missions.