Validation of a Pseudospectral Time-Domain (PSTD) Planetary Radar Sounding Simulator With SHARAD Radar Sounding Data

In a recent study, 2-D pseudospectral time-domain (PSTD) full-wave simulator was developed and demonstrated to be capable of efficiently solving large-scale low-frequency (e.g., HF) electromagnetic scattering problems, for example, on the application radar sounding simulations planetary clutter subsurfaces. this article, PSTD is applied simulate domain as large 4000 $\lambda $ (along-track) notation="LaTeX">$\times 1666.67\,\,\lambda (cross-track) 33.33\,\,\lambda (depth) with =15$ m at an HF frequency 20 MHz. To accomplish goal, further improved model/simulate cross-track slices dielectric scenes by allowing nonuniform grid sampling in horizontal (lateral) vertical directions, results are then stitched together along track form simulated radargram. By combining SHAllow RADar (SHARAD) viewing geometry Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter (MOLA) digital elevation model (DEM), we SHARAD returns three different sites Mars: one North Pole two Oxia Planum. At all sites, radargrams compared measured radargrams. Through power-level calibration reference time adjustment, power estimates validated comparing real observations from 5-dB uncertainty Pearson correlation coefficient 0.3–0.4 (a notation="LaTeX">$p$ -value order notation="LaTeX">$10^{-9}$ ), which justifies use emulating surface sounding. This open source can easily modified support other missions instruments.