Performance Assessment of Multistatic/Multi-Frequency 3D GPR Imaging by Linear Microwave Tomography

Area of Science:

• Geophysics
• Electromagnetics
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Multichannel ground-penetrating radar (GPR) systems offer improved subsurface imaging.
• Handling large data volumes from multiview, multistatic, and multifrequency GPR requires advanced reconstruction methods.
• Optimizing measurement configurations is crucial for balancing image quality and acquisition efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a linear microwave tomographic approach for subsurface imaging using GPR.
• To address the reconstruction challenges posed by sophisticated GPR configurations.
• To investigate measurement configurations that balance image quality with acquisition complexity.

Main Methods:

• A single-view/multistatic GPR measurement system with an antenna array was employed.
• A linear microwave tomographic approach was used to solve a 3D inverse scattering problem.
• The Born approximation was applied to an isotropic, homogeneous, lossless, and non-magnetic medium, considering single- and multi-frequency data.

Main Results:

• A qualitative reconstruction of the investigated scenario was achieved using the tomographic approach.
• Analysis of the scattering operator's spectral content and the system's point spread function was performed for a 3D free-space scenario.
• Experimental validation confirmed the imaging capability of the inversion approach under laboratory conditions.

Conclusions:

• The proposed linear microwave tomographic method is effective for subsurface imaging with advanced GPR systems.
• The approach provides a viable solution for handling complex GPR data acquisition configurations.
• Further research can build upon this method for enhanced GPR-based subsurface exploration.