Information Theory and Radar: Mutual Information and the Design and Analysis of Radar Waveforms and Systems

Citation

Bell, Mark Robert (1988) Information Theory and Radar: Mutual Information and the Design and Analysis of Radar Waveforms and Systems. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/AYD5-RB83. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-06272005-152700

Abstract

This thesis examines the use of information theory in the analysis and design of radar, with a particular emphasis on the information-theoretic design of radar waveforms. First, a brief review of information theory is presented and then the applicability of mutual information to the measurement of radar performance is examined. The idea of the radar target channel is introduced. The Radar/Information Theory Problem is formulated and solved for a number of radar target channels, providing insight into the problem of designing radar waveforms that maximize the mutual information between the target and the received radar signal. Radar-scattering models are examined in order to obtain usable models for practical waveform design problems. The target impulse response is introduced as a method of characterizing the spatial range distribution of radar targets. The target impulse response is used to formulate a new generalization of the matched filter in radar that matches a transmitted-waveform/receiver-filter pair to a target of known impulse response, providing the maximum signal-to-noise ratio at the receiver under a constraint on transmitted energy and the time duration of the waveform. Next, the problem is formulated and solved of designing radar waveforms that maximize the mutual information between the target and the received radar waveform for a target characterized by an impulse response that is a finite-energy random process. The characteristics of waveforms for optimum detection and for obtaining maximum information about a target are compared. Finally, the information content of radar images is examined. It is concluded that the information-theoretic viewpoint can improve the performance of practical radar systems.

Thesis Files