High-Order Sparse Shape Imaging of PEC and Dielectric Targets Using TE Polarized Fields

In this paper, we present a novel method for microwave imaging using sensors with transverse electric (TE) polarization. The method is applicable to metallic and dielectric objects and exploits the sparseness of the sought solution, by imposing a measurement model based on multipole sources. In order to verify the achievable performance, the method has been numerically tested against different scenarios, including targets with complex concave cross sections as well as multiple objects. The investigation has shown that, opposite to the transverse magnetic (TM) polarization, the standard (zero order) sparse processing yields no or very little information about the targets. In contrast, using higher order multipole sources to build the sparse imaging dictionaries allows retrieving complicated target shapes, even in presence of noise. In addition, we have compared the reconstruction results obtained using the TE and TM polarization.