Clutter signal polarization in bistatic radar: Effect of antenna sidelobe clutter
Abstract
Sidelobe contributions to a radar signal's polarization may distort the polarization of clutter originating in the mainbeam. To assure that radar clutter polarization measurements are accurate and that polarization nulling algorithms under consideration would work properly, it is necessary to analyze the contributions of antenna sidelobe clutter to signal polarization. This report considers two bistatic radar configurations over homogeneous terrain. The terrain is represented by the two-scale-of-roughness bistatic scattering model. Two antenna models are used, one a square aperture and the other a simple approximation to a circular aperture with adjustable sidelobe levels. The results for the square aperture show a small change in the signal polarization from the mainbeam-only value when the sidelobes are added in. For the adjustable sidelobe level antenna the sidelobe corruption is small until the uniform sidelobe level reaches -20 dB.
- Publication:
-
Report
- Pub Date:
- May 1994
- Bibcode:
- 1994rome.reptR....F
- Keywords:
-
- Clutter;
- Multistatic Radar;
- Polarization (Waves);
- Radar Detection;
- Sidelobes;
- Signal Distortion;
- Radar Antennas;
- Radar Scattering;
- Terrain;
- Communications and Radar