Image characteristics in applications utilizing dilute subaperture arrays

When a large aperture is synthesized with an array of smaller subapertures for high-resolution imaging applications, it is important not only to arrange the subapertures to achieve minimal spatial frequency redundancy but also to choose the size of the subapertures (i.e., the dilution ratio) necessary to achieve the best possible image quality. Spurious or ghost images often occur even for nonredundant dilute subaperture arrays. We show that array configurations producing a uniform modulation transfer function will not exhibit these undesirable ghost images. A prescription that is unique and original (to the best of our knowledge) is then presented for constructing both one-dimensional and two-dimensional configurations of dilute subaperture arrays that results in a uniform spatial frequency response with an arbitrarily high spatial resolution for reciprocal path-imaging applications.