Analytical Models for Multipath and Switch Leakage for the SWOT Interferometer.

Area of Science:

• * Earth Observation
• * Geophysics
• * Remote Sensing Technology

Background:

• * The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission utilizes the Ka-Band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) to measure ocean topography with centimeter-level accuracy.
• * Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry is crucial for precise topography estimation, relying on phase difference measurements between antennas.
• * Multipath phase, caused by unintended signal scattering from the spacecraft, is a significant error source in KaRIn's measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To present analytical models for understanding and mitigating multipath interference affecting KaRIn.
• * To inform the design and performance analysis of the KaRIn instrument.
• * To reduce errors in ocean topography measurements derived from SAR interferometry.

Main Methods:

• * Development and application of analytical multipath models.
• * Integration of models into instrument design and performance evaluation.
• * Utilizing models for multipath signal mitigation strategies.

Main Results:

• * Established analytical models to characterize multipath effects on KaRIn.
• * Quantified the impact of multipath on the KaRIn error budget.
• * Provided a basis for designing and implementing effective multipath mitigation techniques.

Conclusions:

• * Analytical multipath models are essential for the successful operation of KaRIn and the SWOT mission.
• * These models enable the precise measurement of ocean topography by addressing a critical error source.
• * The presented models contribute to advancing SAR interferometry for Earth observation.