An Application of Splines to Maximum Likelihood Radar Imaging

by Joseph A. O'Sullivan, Pierre Moulin, Donald L. Snyder and Donald G. Porter

Recent results in radar imaging using estimation theoretic techniques are
applied to forming images from data from a compact radar range. Nonparametric
maximum likelihood methods based on spline approximations are used.
The object imaged is a one meter diameter sphere covered with wrinkled
aluminum foil.  This rough sphere approximately fits the diffuse model
and the ideal scattering function for a rough rotating sphere is known.  
The results shown demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is realizable
and that the images are comparable to simulations.