Single-Bounce, Physical-Optics Radar Target Modeling

Abstract

Many applications of radar signal processing research call for the utilization of measurements or simulations of radar target responses. As measurements are difficult to obtain, simulations are often the approach of choice, but even there, it can be difficult to access high-fidelity scattering simulations, despire a wide variety of faceted models being openly available. This tutorial paper seeks to illustrate what can be accomplished through lower fidelity single-bounce, physical optics RF scattering simulation. We seek to demonstrate the relative ease with which researchers might implement their own scattering models to support the specific needs of their projects. We demonstrate the effectiveness and limitations of this approach through comparisons of single-bounce physical optics results with high-fidelity simulations.