Effect of nonuniform target motion on radar backscattered waveforms

The effect of nonuniform motion on radar waveforms is discussed. By considering the physical model of a perfectly reflecting mirror with an arbitrary law of motion r(t), it is possible to determine the functional form of the scattered wave at the receiver for any waveform in general. The particular example of an interrupted continuous wave waveform is used to analyse the effect of nonuniform motion on the return spectrum. These models provide a theoretical foundation for the observations of micro-Doppler that have been discussed by a number of authors. Finally, some of the implications, both physical and mathematical, of nonuniform motion for time-frequency methods are addressed