Analysis of Rock Abundance on Lunar Surface and Near-Surface Using Mini-RF SAR Data

Polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) provides an effective way to understand the physical properties of planetary surfaces. Rocks are the products of specific geological events, recording the evolution of impact craters on airless bodies. Multiple-scattered radar echoes from the surface or near-surface rocks generally exhibit high circular polarization ratio (CPR). In this article, we systematically investigate the relationship between radar CPR and rock abundance of lunar regolith using miniature radio frequency (Mini-RF) SAR data. A total of 51 craters with diameters of 11.8–200 km are selected for analysis. The mean values of Mini-RF CPR and Diviner rock abundance are calculated for the interior and exterior of each crater. Statistical results show a close correlation between Mini-RF CPR and Diviner rock abundance, where high radar CPR and Diviner rock abundance are observed at the blocky ejecta. However, we find the difference of mean CPR value between crater interior and exterior is smaller than that of Diviner rock abundance. This may be attributed to the near-surface rocks that contribute to radar CPR but are not considered in the inversion of Diviner rock abundance. Therefore, the concept of volumetric rock abundance is introduced, indicating the proportion of rocks with diameters larger than one-tenth of the radar wavelength within the detection area. A three-component CPR model is then developed to link radar CPR to volumetric rock abundance. Furthermore, an inverse power-law relationship between volumetric rock abundance and crater ages is discovered, which further indicates the feasibility of using SAR data to estimate rock abundance of lunar regolith.