Course syllabus for Radar systems and applications

Basic knowledge in electromagnetic fields, Fourier analysis, and mathematical statistics.

This course describes the main properties of radar systems, and how these are selected in designing and optimizing radar systems. System performance is analyzed based on electromagnetic wave propagation, sub-system characteristics, digital signal processing, and statistical detection theory, where different radar systems are used to illustrate the practical applications of the theory.

* describe how radars can be used to measure range with time-of-flight and radial velocity with Doppler shift
* define and calculate resolution in time, Doppler frequency, and angle
* understand the Nyquist sampling theorem and describe the effects of undersampling
* define and compare coherent and non-coherent radar systems
* draw a simple block diagram for a radar system and describe the roles of the different components
* derive the radar equations (single and multiple pulses, search radar equation)
* use the radar equations to calculate signal-to-noise ratios and received powers for various radar systems
* use simple formulas to calculate radar cross-section from different objects
* derive for simple metallic radar retro-reflectors the effective area with the high-frequency approximation
* describe qualitatively the backscatter from a metallic sphere as a function of frequency, polarization and size
* use surface and volume backscattering coefficients in calculations of received power, signal-to-clutter ratio and clutter-to-noise ratio
* describe how the atmosphere affects the propagation of radar waves
* calculate the distance to the Earth's radio horizon
* describe the effect of multi-path and calculate the received power for simple geometries relative to its free-space value
* understand the use of random variables to describe noise in radar systems
* derive the matched filter
* derive the probability density function of Rayleigh fading
* calculate required signal-to-noise ratio for a given probability of detection and probability of false-alarm, and for different signal models (Swerling cases)
* describe what is meant by pulse compression
* calculate the output after pulse compression for simple waveforms
* understand how waveform design can improve detection performance
* choose appropriate waveforms for different uses and quantify their performance
* describe the principles of SAR, ISAR and pulse-Doppler radar, calculate resolution for different systems
* define different parameters for describing a system's ambiguity function and calculate those numerically
* be aware of different applications of radar systems
* describe why radar is particularly suited for certain applications compared to other techniques
* understand the trade-offs involved in design of radar systems for different applications
* apply principles of radar system design and analysis to different applications and to quantify performance and suggest improvements in design

The course will be based on lectures and exercise classes. There will also be laboratory work, home assignments and one or two visits to radar industry.

Written exam, laboratory work and hand-ins.