A hologram matrix radar

The concept of hologram matrix is proposed. This concept was incorporated into the design of a novel radar which, unlike conventional radars, determines the distance by the spatial distribution of the scattered wave rather than by the lapse of time. The radar based upon this principle was developed and built for the purpose of mapping ice thickness in the range of 0.5 ∼ 5 m, but it has potential applications in other fields. Such a radar has real-time processing capability, resulting from an amalgamation of the antenna and computer subsytems. The programability of the radiation pattern by software of the processing simplifies the construction of the radar. Capability of dual focussig of the transmitter and receiver eliminates the necessity of either pulsing, or frequency modulation of the transmitting signal. Superior performance in the short range, with high resolution, is particularly advantageous for measuring lossy ice. These features were substantiated by experimental results obtained from the field operation of the system.