Impact of synchronization on signal-to-noise ratio in a distributed radar system

Distributed radar systems are a subset of distributed sensor networks. They are classified as a system of systems due to the processing done at each sensor system and by the network as a whole. The potential signal-to-noise (SNR) gains of a distributed radar system are proportional to N², where N is the number of sensors in the network. This potential is dependant on an assumption that the network transmitters and receivers are synchronized; this paper investigates this assumption. The focus of this work is the frequency, phase, and pulse synchronization of the pulses as they interact at the target. Feedback is discussed as a means of maintaining synchronization. The best case is for a reflected pulse to be in phase and overlap completely; the worst case is for the pulses to reflect in a manner that is non-overlapping. SNR decreases in a sinusoidal manner as synchronization is lost