Systematic radiometric anomalies, manifesting as non-physical range-direction oscillations, significantly compromise the quality of Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) S-band SAR imagery and its scientific application in the lunar south polar region. In this study, we analyzed 1262 scenes from the Mini-RF archive in south polar regions. By employing a statistical screening method based on fitting the relationship of backscattering signal and off-nadir angle, 377 scenes (29.9%) were identified as radiometrically anomalous scenes with systematic errors. To correct these errors, a physics-based radiometric correction framework has been proposed by reconstructing the effective antenna gain pattern (AGP) of Mini-RF. Referenced relationship between the backscattering signal and the local incidence angle was established using normal scenes. For each anomalous scene, a simulation-driven gradient descent optimization approach is developed to estimate the offset of the AGP. Subsequently, the derived offset is applied to realign the AGP of the anomalous scene, effectively compensating for the systematic range-direction oscillations and restoring the true backscatter intensity. Using the proposed method, systematic errors in anomalous scenes have been eliminated effectively, reducing the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) relative to the reference radiometric curve from 2.11 to 1.21 and decreasing the image entropy from 2.83 to 2.29. By eliminating systematic banding artifacts, the proposed method has significantly improved the radiometric fidelity of Mini-RF data. Furthermore, a temporal periodicity was found in the gain offsets, suggesting dynamic instrument distortion driven by variations in the orbital thermal environment.
Li et al. (2026) studied this question.