Performance Boundaries and Tradeoffs in Super-Resolution Imaging Technologies for Space Targets

Inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) super-resolution imaging technology is widely applied in space target imaging. However, the performance limits of super-resolution imaging algorithms remain largely unexplored. Our work addresses this gap by deriving mathematical expressions for the upper and...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Xiaole He, Ping Liu, Junling Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Remote Sensing
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/4/696
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850231426406940672
author Xiaole He
Ping Liu
Junling Wang
author_facet Xiaole He
Ping Liu
Junling Wang
author_sort Xiaole He
collection DOAJ
description Inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) super-resolution imaging technology is widely applied in space target imaging. However, the performance limits of super-resolution imaging algorithms remain largely unexplored. Our work addresses this gap by deriving mathematical expressions for the upper and lower bounds of cross-range resolution in ISAR imaging based on the computational resolution limit (CRL) theory for line spectrum reconstruction. Leveraging these explicit expressions, we first explore influencing factors of these bounds, including the traditional Rayleigh limit, number of scatterers, and peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of the scatterers. Then, we elucidate the minimum resource requirements in ISAR imaging imposed by CRL theory to meet the desired cross-range resolution, without which studying super-resolution algorithms becomes unnecessary in practice. Furthermore, we analyze the tradeoffs between the cumulative rotation angle, radar transmit energy, and other factors that contribute to optimizing the resolution. Simulations are conducted to demonstrate these tradeoffs across various ISAR imaging scenarios, revealing their high dependence on specific imaging targets.
format Article
id doaj-art-61b33acc0bc640668a4dadb9cbcf3cd4
institution OA Journals
issn 2072-4292
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Remote Sensing
spelling doaj-art-61b33acc0bc640668a4dadb9cbcf3cd42025-08-20T02:03:32ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-02-0117469610.3390/rs17040696Performance Boundaries and Tradeoffs in Super-Resolution Imaging Technologies for Space TargetsXiaole He0Ping Liu1Junling Wang2School of Information and Electronics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, ChinaSchool of Mathematical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaSchool of Information and Electronics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, ChinaInverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) super-resolution imaging technology is widely applied in space target imaging. However, the performance limits of super-resolution imaging algorithms remain largely unexplored. Our work addresses this gap by deriving mathematical expressions for the upper and lower bounds of cross-range resolution in ISAR imaging based on the computational resolution limit (CRL) theory for line spectrum reconstruction. Leveraging these explicit expressions, we first explore influencing factors of these bounds, including the traditional Rayleigh limit, number of scatterers, and peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of the scatterers. Then, we elucidate the minimum resource requirements in ISAR imaging imposed by CRL theory to meet the desired cross-range resolution, without which studying super-resolution algorithms becomes unnecessary in practice. Furthermore, we analyze the tradeoffs between the cumulative rotation angle, radar transmit energy, and other factors that contribute to optimizing the resolution. Simulations are conducted to demonstrate these tradeoffs across various ISAR imaging scenarios, revealing their high dependence on specific imaging targets.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/4/696inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR)Rayleigh limitsuper-resolutionperformance boundaries
spellingShingle Xiaole He
Ping Liu
Junling Wang
Performance Boundaries and Tradeoffs in Super-Resolution Imaging Technologies for Space Targets
Remote Sensing
inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR)
Rayleigh limit
super-resolution
performance boundaries
title Performance Boundaries and Tradeoffs in Super-Resolution Imaging Technologies for Space Targets
title_full Performance Boundaries and Tradeoffs in Super-Resolution Imaging Technologies for Space Targets
title_fullStr Performance Boundaries and Tradeoffs in Super-Resolution Imaging Technologies for Space Targets
title_full_unstemmed Performance Boundaries and Tradeoffs in Super-Resolution Imaging Technologies for Space Targets
title_short Performance Boundaries and Tradeoffs in Super-Resolution Imaging Technologies for Space Targets
title_sort performance boundaries and tradeoffs in super resolution imaging technologies for space targets
topic inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR)
Rayleigh limit
super-resolution
performance boundaries
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/4/696
work_keys_str_mv AT xiaolehe performanceboundariesandtradeoffsinsuperresolutionimagingtechnologiesforspacetargets
AT pingliu performanceboundariesandtradeoffsinsuperresolutionimagingtechnologiesforspacetargets
AT junlingwang performanceboundariesandtradeoffsinsuperresolutionimagingtechnologiesforspacetargets