how does radar work?
radar principles
radar components
pulse generator, transmitter, duplexer, receiver, recorder, post-processing
benefits of radar
limitations of radar
radar bands
passive radar collection
active radar collection
what is resolution a function of?
SLAR (side looking airborne radar)
ground range
Rg
distance away from the nadir point (perpendicular to the flight direction)
slant range
Rs
distance along the beam path
azimuth
distance along the flight direction
look angle
(Y)
angle from the vertical to the beam
depression angle
theta
complement to the look angle
swath width
illuminated surface of the ground
pulse duration
T
time of the pulse
determines how large the antenna needs to be because the antenna needs to receive pulses sent far away while the ship keeps moving
incidence angle
angle from vertical of the ground and the beam
background of radar images
corner reflector
an object on the surface with a geometry with respect to the incident energy such that all energy is returned to the antenna (“perfect reflector)
flat perfect reflector
bounce off in the same direction
appears dark bc there is no information
rayleigh criteria
relate approximate surface roughness to amount of backscatter
smooth: H <λ/(8sinθ) - shows dark
rough: H > λ/(4.4sinθ) - shows light
radar polarization
radar pulse geometry
range direction (w equation)
ground range distance?
determines the position from a measurement of the travel time from the antenna to the surface (assuming a fixed depression angle)
Rg = Rs * cosθ
Rg = ((cT)/ 2) cosθ
Rs = slant range distance θ = depression angle