 | | Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is a field that has been transformed by the recent availability of data from a new generation of space and airborne systems, and the authors take full advantage of this data to offer a synthetic geometrical approach to the description of the SAR technique, one that addresses physicists, radar specialists, as well as experts in image processing. The book begins with a theoretical emergency kit that provides the foundation necessary to understand the math and science behind the SAR technology. It then provides a comprehensive description of the technique itself, stressing the geometrical approach to radar processing, followed by a description of how these principles are applied by considering SAR design from a radiometric perspective. The authors then turn their attention to radar interferometry, explaining the practical aspects behind obtaining interferometric products from radar data, in the context of resolving ambiguity interpretation, the availability of space-borne systems, radar-data archives and software-processing resources. The book closes with a detailed description of radar polarimetry. Richly illustrated with a careful mathematical development of the basic scientific concepts, the book is intended for both academic use (by professors and students), as well as by professionals working in industry or government laboratories. Acknowledgements - Preface - A theoretical emergency kit for sar imagery - SAR Processing: at the heart of the SAR technique - From SAR design to image quality - SAR Interferometry: Towards the ultimate - SAR Polarimetry: Towards the ultimate characterization of targets - Conclusion - Index. |  |  |
|  |  | | With the challenges our society faces concerning energy and the environment, it is particularly vital to develop a more rational use of our resources, both renewable and non-renewable. A sustainable use of the available resources is only possible if engineers can rely on coherent indicators, among which the exergy efficiency is bound to play a major role. |
  | | Photovoltaic technology has now developed to the extent that it is close to fulfilling the vision of a solar-energy world, as devices based on this technology are becoming efficient, low-cost and durable. This book provides a comprehensive treatment of thin-film silicon, the most prevalent PV material, in terms of its semiconductor nature, starting out with the physical properties, but concentrating on device applications. |
  | | Solidication is one of the oldest processes for producing complex shapes for applications ranging from art to industry, and it remains as one of the most important commercial processes for many materials. Since the 1980's, numerous fundamental developments in the understanding of solidication processes and microstructure formation have come from both analytical theories and the application of computational techniques using commonly available powerful computers. |
  | | In recent years, the transport simulation of large road networks has become far more rapid and detailed, and many exciting developments in this field have emerged. In this perspective, the authors describe the simulation of automobile, pedestrian and rail traffic, coupled to new applications, such as the embedding of traffic simulation into driving simulators, to give a more realistic environment of driver behavior surrounding the subject vehicle. |
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