Waveform design for wideband beampattern and beamforming

This paper considers wideband beamforming and waveform design for transmission from advanced multiple channel radar systems. Hence, this paper describes the initial designs of a wideband transmit beamformer for a multi-channel high resolution radar, applicable to airborne and spaceborne radars. As a case study for this paper, we use the EcoSAR instrument developed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for the measurement of science parameters. The wideband EcoSAR employs two multi-channel antennas and full transmit and receive digital beamforming to generate high resolution images of the ground features. Maintaining a consistent beampattern when the bandwidth is approximately 50% of the center frequency is a challenge. Breaking this nexus relies on optimum beam weight design and accompanying waveform design; not merely the former as is typically done. The approaches of this paper have shown how the beampatterns can be maintained while meeting beam requirements.