Two-body multiple scattering

Summary form only given. To achieve improved target discrimination and identification has been the driving force behind the development of high-resolution radar systems. A method of target identification with wideband radar data is to form a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) or an inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) image of the target by spatially isolating the individual scattering sources. However, to design a better radar signal processor requires a complete understanding of the interactions between isolated scattering sources. The multiple scattering of electromagnetic waves by several simple two-body targets was studied in terms of their sub-nanosecond pulse returns. The wideband target responses were analyzed through use of an asymptotic solution to a generic two-body scattering formulation; when considering the computed results, emphasis was aimed towards the coupling phenomenon. These coupling components between bodies were isolated experimentally using a coherent X-band high-resolution radar system, and the data were in good general agreement with the analytical solutions. It is shown that multiple scatterings can contribute significantly to the total radar cross-section even when the scattering sources are separated by many wavelengths.