Joint dynamic spectrum access and target-matched illumination for cognitive radar

This study addresses a radar architecture to design a waveform that dynamically fits into the gaps in the radio-frequency spectrum and that matches the target scattering properties. The optimisation metric considered is the mutual information between the received signal and the target impulse response, the maximisation of which makes the radar waveform illuminate a wider number of target spectral components. The proposed scheme is conceived to be part of a cognitive – or fully adaptive – system, which adapts its waveform in a perception-action cycle, by using a trade-off between the observation time and the desired performance. In this work, particular attention is paid to analyse how the chosen metric is influenced by external parameters such as the target, interference and clutter power and radar parameters such as the observation time and the transmit power.