Efficient Radar Polarimeter Technology for Missile Defense

Propagation Research Associates, Inc., (PRA) proposes to develop radar polarimeter technology that will instantaneously measure the parameters of the Stokes vector or Polarization Scattering Matrix (PSM) of a target without requiring additional antennas or antenna elements in Missile Defense phased-array radars. The term `instantaneous' is used to mean that the parameters of the Stokes vector or PSM are measured with a single pulse and that the measurements all occur at the same time. The Stokes vector and PSM provide effective measures to detect and discriminate targets embedded in threat complexes. The PRA Radar Polarimeter and PRA Orthogonal Radar Polarimeter substantially reduce the cost of measuring polarization for large phased-array radars and provide instantaneous measurement of the Stokes vector and PSM components that are more reliable than conventional sequential measurement approaches. The innovative PRA radar polarimeter technology addresses a significant need in radar technology - the need to measure target polarimetrics instantaneously without increasing hardware cost, weight, and volume. PRA radar polarimeter technology will have direct applications to Missile Defense, where target detection and discrimination in a dynamic clutter environment is required. Also included are polarimeter designs for infrared and optical sensors that provide low-cost and efficient polarimeter technologies for these wavelengths.