Adapting range migration techniques for imaging with metasurface antennas: analysis and limitations

TLDR: An adapted version of the range migration algorithm (RMA) for use with dynamic metasurface antennas in image reconstruction, demonstrating the capabilities of the algorithm as a fast reconstruction tool and analyzing the limitations of the presented technique in terms of image quality.

Abstract: Dynamic metasurface antennas are planar structures that exhibit remarkable capabilities in controlling electromagnetic wave-fronts, advantages which are particularly attractive for microwave imaging. These antennas exhibit strong frequency dispersion and produce diverse radiation patterns. Such behavior presents unique challenges for integration with conventional imaging algorithms. We analyze an adapted version of the range migration algorithm (RMA) for use with dynamic metasurfaces in image reconstruction. Focusing on the the proposed pre-processing step, that ultimately allows a fast processing of the backscattered signal in the spatial frequency domain from which the fast Fourier transform can efficiently reconstruct the scene. Numerical studies illustrate imaging performance using both conventional methods and the adapted RMA, demonstrating that the RMA can reconstruct images with comparable quality in a fraction of the time. In this paper, we demonstrate the capabilities of the algorithm as a fast reconstruction tool, and we analyze the limitations of the presented technique in terms of image quality.