SAR Imaging using the Capon estimator in the 2-D subarray processing framework

We develop a 2-dimensional (2-D) subarray processing technique as an extension of 1-D subarray processing to form the image of an inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR). By using the 2-D processing based on the Capon's spectral estimation method, a high resolution image can be obtained as compared with the conventional Fourier transform and the 1-D subarray based method. Our method minimizes the mean output power "as much as possible" to minimize the interference energy, while the desired scatterer's energy is preserved by using the constraint. Some simulation results are given to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method.