Point-Scatterer Formulation of Terrain Clutter Statistics

• Main Authors: Valenzuela, G R, Laing, M B
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: Active & Passive Radar Detection & Equipment; CENTRAL LIMIT THEOREM; DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS; ELECTROMAGNETIC SCATTERING; KOLMOGOROV-SMIRNOV TEST; PROBABILITY DENSITY FUNCTIONS; RADAR CLUTTER; SCATTERING; SCINTILLATION; SIDE LOOKING RADAR; STATISTICAL DISTRIBUTIONS; STATISTICAL INFERENCE; TERRAIN

The first-order statistics of terrain clutter are investigated theoretically and experimentally. The return from a point-scatterer (a scintillating signal) is used as a basis for generating the statistical properties of terrain clutter as observed by side-looking airborne radars. According to the model the limiting distribution of terrain clutter are the Gaussian distribution and the distribution for a scintillating signal (specular clutter). An array of point-scatterers within the radar beam produces clutter which has long tails similar to those of a lognormal distribution. The convergence of the first-order statistics of a scintillating signal to the statistics of a sinusoidal signal is demonstrated. Also, the statistics of terrain clutter are inferred from data taken with the Naval Research Laboratory's Four Frequency Radar System by the Kolmogorov--Smirnov test of the cumulative distribution and by the computation of the first five central moments of the normalized radar cross section of terrain (in decibels).