Integral Equation Model of the Martian Surface Layer for the Detection of Buried Ice Deposits in Support of the International Ice Mapping Mission Synthetic Aperture Radar

We implemented a 3-D electromagnetic scattering model to gain a better understanding in the observations of L- and P-band radar returns from the multi-layered Martian upper surface layer. The model, based on the Integral Equation Model (IEM) developed by Adrian Fung, treats the Martian regolith (upper 10-meter layer of surface sediments) as an inhomogeneous medium with irregular boundaries, and employs surface and shallow subsurface parameters representative of a variety of Martian terrains. The model is well-suited to study the near-subsurface ice detection capability of the L-band (32 cm wavelength) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) planned for the international Mars Ice Mapping (I-MIM) mission being considered for launching in the late 2020s.