Abstract The design of incoherent scatter measurements, as well as other radar measurements is constrained by technical factors, the most important of which are radar power and duty cycle. If these are fixed, it is possible to improve detection accuracy by using different kinds of coding methods. We study a situation where radar backscatter autocorrelation functions (ACF) of a continuously distributed medium are to be measured with a specified radar range and autocorrelation lag resolution. As the measurement is disturbed by thermal noise, it is then shown that the accuracy of the resulting ACF estimates cannot be better than a certain limit, whatever kinds of coding schemes are used. The accuracies of alternating codes are compared to this limit for a range of pulse lengths used. We suppose that the noise power due to thermal fluctuations in the system and background noise is higher than the signal power itself. The proof of the limiting accuracy is based on linear statistical inversion theory.
On optimization of incoherent scatter measurements
Advances in Space Research ; 9 , 5 ; 133-141
1989-01-01
9 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
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