Engineering Research Equipment Grant: Microwave Network Analyzer/Dynamic Signal Analyzer for Radar Clutter Decorrelation Studies

This Engineering Research Equipment Grant will enable field experiments to be performed for studying the decorrelation characteristics of radar reflected signals from various terrain targets. The proposed system consists of a portable microwave network analyzer configured as a short-range radar system, and a dynamic signal analyzer for baseband signal processing and analysis. The temporal and/or spatial decorrelation data will be gathered at various frequencies, polarizations, incidence angles, and antenna beamwidths, under varied ground-truth conditions. Simple models will also be developed in order to predict the decorrelation time/distance based on measured ground-truth parameters, and compared to measured data. The research is expected to have an impact on target identification and terrain classification for both military and commercial applications.