Space-Time Detection Theory

Abstract : Radar systems must detect targets in the presence of clutter and jamming (colored noise) signals. By exploiting signal diversity, space-time adaptive processing (STAP) improves radar detection performance in colored noise-limited environments. This set of lecture notes describes fundamental aspects of space-time detection theory in Gaussian noise. We first describe basic detection theory; key aspects of the discussion include the formation of a sufficient statistic, threshold setting, matched filtering, and the notion of a whitening filter. We then examine the role space-time signal diversity plays in enhancing target detection performance in colored noise environments. Next, we define commonly used performance metrics, including signal-to- interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) loss factors. The latter part of the paper describes practical aspects of space-time detection: we consider various detector structures, estimation of unknown parameters, and the impact of clutter heterogeneity on detection performance.