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A new differential technique for forming optical images using a synthetic aperture is introduced. This differential technique utilizes a single aperture to obtain unique (N) phases that can be processed to produce a synthetic aperture image at points along a trajectory. This is accomplished by divid

A new differential technique for forming optical images using a synthetic aperture is introduced. This differential technique utilizes a single aperture to obtain unique (N) phases that can be processed to produce a synthetic aperture image at points along a trajectory. This is accomplished by dividing the aperture into two equal “subapertures”, each having a width that is less than the actual aperture, along the direction of flight. As the platform flies along a given trajectory, a source illuminates objects and the two subapertures are configured to collect return signals. The techniques of the invention is designed to cancel common-mode errors, trajectory deviations from a straight line, and laser phase noise to provide the set of resultant (N) phases that can produce an image having a spatial resolution corresponding to a synthetic aperture.

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1. An imaging method from a moving platform, comprising:illuminating an object with an electromagnetic radiation source directed from an aperture, collecting a reflected radiation from the object by a first sub-aperture and a second sub-aperture, each having an effective width that is less than abou

1. An imaging method from a moving platform, comprising:illuminating an object with an electromagnetic radiation source directed from an aperture, collecting a reflected radiation from the object by a first sub-aperture and a second sub-aperture, each having an effective width that is less than about the width of the aperture, for a plurality of platform positions, measuring a plurality of differential phases from the reflected radiation collected by the sub-apertures to produce a plurality of resultant (N) phases for each of the platform positions, wherein an image having a spatial resolution corresponding to a synthetic aperture is constructed from the resultant (N) phases, optically splitting the collected radiation by the first sub-aperture into a first and a second optical beam and optically splitting the collected radiation by the second sub-aperture into a third and a fourth optical beam, collecting the first and the second optical beams by an adapted first pair of high speed heterodyne detectors and collecting the third and the fourth optical beams by an adapted second pair of high speed heterodyne detectors, generating a pair of common in-phase (I) local oscillator reference beams and a pair of common quadrature (Q) local oscillator reference beams, mixing the first and the second collected optical beams with an I and a Q beam on a pair of adapted first high speed heterodyne detectors and mixing the third and the fourth collected optical beams with an I and a Q beam on a second pair of adapted high speed heterodyne detectors, processing the heterodyned signals to produce a first phase φmj and a second phase φmj+1 with respect to the common local oscillator such that a measured phase differential φmj+1?φmj between the sub-apertures is capable of being produced, calculating the resultant (N) phases by summing the phase differentials at each of the platform positions according to [φj+1=φj+(φmj+1?φmj)]; and processing the resultant (N) phases to produce an image having a spatial resolution corresponding to a synthetic aperture of about N(the effective width/4). 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the illumination source emits electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength range from about 850 nm to about 10 μm.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the illumination source includes a laser.4. The method of claim 1, wherein a platform motion deviation from a linear trajectory and along an illumination direction, and with a magnitude of up to about 0.1 percent of the target range, does not significantly degrade reconstructed image quality.5. The method of claim 1, wherein a platform motion deviation from a linear trajectory and normal to the plane formed by the platform trajectory and an illumination beam, and with a magnitude of up to about 0.1 percent of the target range, does not significantly degrade reconstructed image quality.6. The method of claim 1, wherein an obtained image is independent of an axial target motion.7. The method of claim 1, wherein a spectral purity of an illumination source is determined by a single round-trip time equal to 2R/c, wherein R is the range to the target and c the speed of light.8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sub-aperture is adapted to detect RF frequencies.9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sub-aperture is adapted to detect optical frequencies.10. An imaging method from a moving platform, comprising:illuminating an object with an electromagnetic radiation source from an aperture of size d, collecting for a plurality of platform positions, a reflected radiation from the object by a first and a second sub-aperture, each sub-aperture having a predetermined width of about d/2, measuring a plurality of differential phases for each of the plurality of platform positions that includes, optically splitting the collected radiation by the first sub-aperture into a first and a second optical beam and optically splitting the collected radiation by the second sub-aperture into a third and a fourth optical beam, directing the first and the second optical beams onto a first quadrature receiver and directing the third and the fourth optical beams onto a second quadrature receiver, generating a pair of common in-phase (I) local oscillator reference beams and a pair of common quadrature (Q) local oscillator reference beams such that the (I) beams are directed to operationally heterodyne with the first and the third optical beams and the (Q) beams are directed to operationally heterodyne with the second and the fourth optical beams respectively, processing the heterodyne signals to produce a first measured phase φmj and a second measured phase φmj+1 with respect to the common local oscillator such that a phase differential φmj+1?φmj between the sub-apertures is capable of being produced, calculating a plurality of resultant (N) phases by summing the phase differentials at each of the platform positions according to [φj+1=φj+(φmj+1?φmj)]; and processing the resultant (N) phases to produce an image having a spatial resolution corresponding to a synthetic aperture of length of about Nd/4. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the illumination source emits electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength range from about 850 nm to about 10 μm.12. The method of claim 10, wherein the illumination source includes a laser.13. The method of claim 10, wherein a platform motion deviation from a linear trajectory and along an illumination direction, and with a magnitude of up to about 0.1 percent of the target range, does not significantly degrade reconstructed image quality.14. The method of claim 10, wherein a platform motion deviation from a linear trajectory and normal to the plane formed by the platform trajectory and an illumination beam, and with a magnitude of up to about 0.1 percent of the target range, does not significantly degrade reconstructed image quality.15. The method of claim 10, wherein an obtained image is independent of an axial target motion.16. The method of claim 10, wherein a spectral purity of the illumination source is determined by a single round-trip time equal to 2R/c, wherein R is the range to the target and c the speed of light.17. The method of claim 10, wherein the sub-aperture is adapted to detect RF frequencies.18. The method of claim 10, wherein the sub-aperture is adapted to detect optical frequencies.