Method and apparatus for compensating for a parameter change in a synthetic aperture imaging system

1. A method for processing data generated by a synthetic aperture imaging system, comprising:

receiving raw data representative of electromagnetic signals reflected by a target area to be imaged;

receiving a parameter change causing a variation of an interference pattern parameter for said synthetic aperture imaging system, said interference pattern parameter being one of a Fresnel zone plate focal length and a Fourier slice scaling parameter;

using a processing unit, digitally correcting said raw data in accordance with said parameter change, said correcting comprising determining a scaling factor using said parameter change and scaling said raw data in accordance with said scaling factor, thereby compensating for said parameter change in order to obtain corrected data; and

generating an image of said target area using said corrected data, said generating comprising:

generating an incident light;

modulating said incident light in accordance with said corrected data, thereby obtaining a modulated light; and

optically processing said modulated light, thereby obtaining an optical image of said target area.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising detecting said optical image to obtain a digital image of said target area.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said parameter change comprises a change of one of a pulse repetition frequency, a range sampling frequency, and a slant range distance.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said receiving said raw data comprises receiving said raw data from one of a synthetic aperture radar system, a synthetic aperture lidar system, a synthetic aperture terahertz system, and a synthetic aperture infrared system.

5. A system for generating a synthetic aperture image of a target area, comprising:

a memory configured to store raw data representative of electromagnetic signals reflected by said target area and a parameter change causing a variation of an interference pattern parameter for said synthetic aperture imaging system, said interference pattern parameter comprising one of a Fresnel zone plate focal length and a Fourier slice scaling parameter;

a processing unit configured to determining a scaling factor using said parameter change and scaling said raw data in accordance with said scaling factor in order to compensate for said parameter change and obtain corrected data; and

an image generator configured to generate an image of said target area using said corrected data, said image generator comprising:

a light source configured to generate incident light;

a light modulator configured to moderate said incident light in accordance with said corrected data, thereby obtaining a modulated light; and

an optical processor configured to optically process said modulated light, thereby obtaining said image of said target area.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said image generator further comprises an image sensor for detecting said optical image and generating a digital image of said target area.

7. The system as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said parameter change comprises a change of one of a pulse repetition frequency, a range sampling frequency, and a slant range distance.

8. The system as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said memory is configured to store said raw data generated by one of a synthetic aperture radar system, a synthetic aperture lidar system, a synthetic aperture terahertz system, and a synthetic aperture infrared system.