Physics Commons^™

A Random Wave Method For Detecting Phase Imbalance In A Coherent Radar Receiver, Zhenni Wang, Alexander Kostinski

Department of Physics Publications

The question of monitoring the angle between the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) channels of a coherent radar receiver is considered in this paper. Random interference-type scattering (e.g., rain echo) is assumed so that the received signal is a random phasor sum. It is also assumed that I and Q voltages have a (90 + ϕ₀) phase difference. The effects of nonzero phase imbalance ϕ₀ on the I and Q statistics are examined. Joint I and Q as well as amplitude and phase probability distributions are derived. It is shown that the cross-correlation …

Spaceborne Radar Sensing Of Precipitation Above An Ocean Surface: Polarization Contrast Study, Alexander Kostinski, John Kwiatkowski, A. R. Jameson

Department of Physics Publications

This feasibility study explores the potential benefits of polarization adjustment for spaceborne radar sensing of precipitation. More specifically, the role of the wave polarization in separating or “distinguishing” ocean surface return from the hydrometeor echoes of a “chirped” signal is examined.

To that end, experimental as well as computational data for the polarization scattering matrices of hydrometeors and ocean surfaces are obtained and used to calculate ocean and precipitation “response” to the transmitted pulse for various rain rates and incidence angles. The analysis is restricted to X and C bands, but simulations are performed for several signal-to-noise ratios, rain rates, …