On the GNSS-R Interferometric Complex Field Coherence Time

In this paper we focus on the microwave bistatic scattering process, with the aim of deriving an expression for the interferometric complex field auto-correlation function from a static platform. We start from the Fresnel integral and derive the auto-correlation function in the Fraunhofer and Modified Fraunhofer regime. The autocorrelation function at short times can be expressed as a Gaussian with a direction dependent time scale. The directional modulation is a function of the angle between the scattering direction and the wave direction. The obtained relation can be used for directional sea state estimation using one or more GNSS-R coastal receivers.