Using controlled measurements of canonical scatterers to evaluate various polarimetric decompositions

We present a linear quad-polarized (H: horizontal, V: vertical) Ka-band stepped frequency measurement for a single configuration of a metal reconfigurable object and an analysis of the effectiveness of different polarization decompositions. The measurement was performed on April 4, 2017 in a small partially anechoic prep room inside the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Sensor Directorate's Indoor Range. The measurement and analysis are limited to a single configuration containing several geometric primitives, connecting rods, a hemispherical base and small regions of clutter. We show each polarization channel's (HH, VV, HV, VH) range profile and corresponding inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) image. We also show HH range profiles and corresponding ISAR images of two synthetic prediction methods for comparison to help understand the measurement. Additionally, four different polarimetric decompositions are presented and future research directions are discussed.