Complex Signal Kurtosis—Indicator of Ship Target Signature in SAR Images

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Abstract
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) signatures of ship targets are often degraded by various types of distortions due to the distinctive imaging mechanism. The negative impacts could affect the characterization and identification of ships. Recently, complex signal kurtosis (CSK) was found to be a vital indicator of ship detection in SAR images. Since CSK can be used as an indicator of ship detection, we consider it can also be used to indicate ship target signature. One of the basic rationales is that the larger the CSK is, the easier it is to be detected and thus the more obvious its characteristics are as a ship. Defocusing and sidelobes are two common problems that affect the quality of ships. Their impacts on ship target signature are studied and compared from the perspective of CSK. Specifically, a ship target signature improvement methodology based on the maximum CSK criterion is proposed for both refocusing and sidelobe suppression. The role the CSK plays in these improvements and the underlying rationales are elaborated. In addition, a preliminary evaluation of the global imaging quality is also provided. Experimental results based on real data demonstrate that CSK can be used to indicate and improve ship target signature.
Funding Information
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (62001480, 61971426)

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