3D Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging of the Interior of the Cometary Nucleus

Abstract:

A capability of constructing the primitive body’s interior structure such as the cometary nucleus is the key to the successful realization of a future three-dimensional (3D) mapping mission using a long-wavelength (20-60 meters) penetrating radar system. Discontinuities in the material density and/or composition at the surface and deep interior reflect a small amount of incoming electro-magnetic waves back to the orbiting radar system that records amplitudes and travel times (or phases). By coherently processing the phase information collected from different viewing angles at different times, we would like to show that we could build 3D internal structural and compositional images, and thereby provide crucial information about the origin and evolution of the cometary nucleus.

Here, we will report our efforts on the high-fidelity electromagnetic (E&M) forward modeling, comet modeling related to Rosetta experiments, and validation of a radar reflection tomographic imaging technique. We have developed innovative techniques to reduce numerical errors in the E&M modeling, allowing us to simulate data collection in a realistic environment while significantly reducing spurious effects caused by numerical errors or imperfect matching layers surrounding the simulation scene. For comet modeling, we have used models developed for radar sounding experiments on Rosetta comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. These models are driven from various scientific hypothesis and lab measurements of cometary materials. For an imaging algorithm, we have used a proven SAR technique after taking into account the slowness of light inside the comet and refraction (ray-bending) at the comet surface. We have successfully imaged 2D cross-sectional images of various comet models and will pursuit 3D simulation and imaging reconstruction in the near future.