Full-wave-based emulation of forward-looking radar target imaging in rough terrain environment

Large-scale full-wave modeling of multistatic target imaging in a rough ground environment is described. The emulation methodology employs a parallelized three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithm in characterizing the near-grazing angle electromagnetic scattering from the ground surface and buried and on-surface targets in the form of landmines and unexploded ordnances (UXO); subsequent focusing of the scattered fields into an image is obtained with the time-reversal technique. The emphasis of this study is on investigating the detectability of discrete ground targets in the presence of distributed variable ground clutter as relevant to performance prediction for ultra-wideband forward-looking radar applications.