Advances and Applications of Microwave Imaging

Dear Colleagues,

Since the first pioneering studies, microwave imaging has appeared as a very promising methodology to inspect structures and bodies in a non-invasive way. Applications are now ranging from medical diagnostics to security, from nondestructive testing to geophysics and archaeology. However, the peculiar nature of microwave radiation and scattering needs to be accounted for in a proper way, by combining accurate measurement systems with suitable imaging algorithms.

As to the measurement devices, which have the objective of collecting data related to the scattered microwave radiation from the structures or bodies under test, great progress has been made throughout the years, but each applicative field presents its own issues and challenges, especially when signals are weak and possibly masked by noise or by other environmental factors.

Starting from the measured data, the retrieval of microwave images of targets requires the resolution of an inverse electromagnetic problem, which is in principle nonlinear and ill-posed. Many different inversion strategies are continuously proposed by the research community: qualitative, quantitative and hybrid techniques exist, with the aim of obtaining high reconstruction accuracy and computational efficiency. Alongside more established techniques, today there is also great interest in applications based on artificial intelligence and machine learning.

However, many efforts are still required to bridge the gap between numerical and theoretical developments and practical applications, and the research community is tirelessly stimulated to find and test new solutions from both theoretical and experimental viewpoints.

The goal of this Special Issue is to collect innovative research contributions in the intriguing and ever-evolving field of microwave imaging. Original research works, as well as tutorials and review papers, are welcome. Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Theoretical advances in microwave imaging;
• Qualitative and radar-based imaging strategies;
• Quantitative inverse-scattering algorithms;
• Machine learning methods applied to microwave imaging;
• Compressive sensing;
• Forward and inverse electromagnetic scattering models;
• Numerical and computational issues;
• Development and validation of microwave imaging systems;
• Antennas and measurement apparatuses for microwave imaging;
• Medical, industrial and security applications;
• Ground penetrating radar systems and processing methods;
• Microwave imaging based antenna diagnostics;
• Microwave imaging in earth and atmospheric sciences;
• Novel applications and research perspectives.

Prof. Dr. Gian Luigi Gragnani
Dr. Alessandro Fedeli
Guest Editors

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