The present technology of impulse radars
Abstract
In earlier investigations for obtaining an impulse transmitter, microwave tubes were quickly found to be inadequate for obtaining both high peak power and the extremely large bandwidths required. It was consequently attempted to develop the Hertzian generator as a transmitter. In a basic Hertzian generator, which is considered, a 50 kV power supply is fed through a 200 megohm resistor and charges a capacitor until some nominal value, e.g., 10,000 volts, appears across the pressurized spark gap. If the spark gap is adjusted to fire at 10 kV, it will break down the plasma between the points and ignite. The 10 kV across the 2 picofarad capacitor then discharges into the 50 transmission line. In an attempt to increase the peak power, a pressurized system was fabricated. The present state-of-the-art is represented by a 2 megawatt Hertzian generator with 70 picosecond rise time and 100 picosecond pulsewidth. This generator is pressurized to 2,000 pounds per square inch and employs a single gap. Attention is also given to the radiation and reception of impulse waveforms, approaches utilizing spatial pulse compression to increase the energy content of the radiated waveform, and the receiver.
- Publication:
-
Radar-77
- Pub Date:
- 1977
- Bibcode:
- 1977rpi..conf..535V
- Keywords:
-
- Impulse Generators;
- Pulse Radar;
- Technology Assessment;
- Tracking Radar;
- Duplexers;
- Electrical Engineering;
- Moving Target Indicators;
- Power Efficiency;
- Pulse Compression;
- Radar Reception;
- Radar Targets;
- Radar Transmitters;
- Communications and Radar