Split-Band Interferometric SAR Processing Using TanDEM-X Data

Most recent SAR sensors use wide band signals to achieve metric range resolution. One can also take advantage of wide band to split it into sub-bands and generate several lower-resolution images, centered on slightly different frequencies, from a single acquisition. This process, named Multi Chromatic Analysis (MCA) corresponds to performing a spectral analysis of SAR images.

Split-Band SAR interferometry (SBInSAR) is based on spectral analysis performed on each image of an InSAR pair, yielding a stack of sub-band interferograms. Scatterers keeping a coherent behaviour in each sub-band interferogram show a phase that varies linearly with the carrier frequency, the slope being proportional to the absolute optical path difference. This potentially solves the problems of phase unwrapping on a pixel-per-pixel basis.

In this paper, we present an SBInSAR processor and its application using TanDEM-X data over the Nyiragongo volcano.