Measurement and processing of scattered ultrawideband/short-pulse signals

High quality ultrawide-band measurements provide a basis for understanding the transient scattering phenomena necessary for the development of short-pulse radar target identification and detection schemes. This paper describes several techniques used at Michigan State University (MSU) for the acquisition, processing, and interpretation of ultra-wideband scattering data. By performing measurements over a sufficiently large bandwidth, the early- time specular nature of a radar target and the late-time resonant behavior can be observed simultaneously within a single target signature. Special attention has been given at MSU to enhancing the equivalent bandwidth of the measurement system through a spectral slicing and extrapolation method. Observation and interpretation of the various scattering phenomena and their dependance on target aspect are then interpreted through several visualization techniques, including scattering plots, frequency-time plots and images.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.