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Polarimetry for Dummies

Abstract -The extraction of information from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data has been a promising area of research for many years. In order to achieve reliable results, multi parameter measurements are generally necessary. Multi-temporal, multi-frequency and multi-polarization data have been suggested for remote sensing applications. While multi-temporal and multi-frequency approaches are widely used and fairly well documented, SAR polarimetry is a relatively new approach which yields some advantages over the conventional methods. This tutorial is meant to give the interested reader with a limited or no previous knowledge about waves and polarimetry a first introduction into the field and the terminology of waves and polarimetry. Therefore, in this treatment we will focus rather on the understanding of the principles than on the derivation of equations. For the advanced reader these derivations and mathematical formulations can be found in the following chapters.

keywords:waves, amplitude, phase, wave length, frequency



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