Vol. 92

In this study, the physical relationship between the shape parameter v of the K-distribution and the spatial correlation of a sea clutter signal received with a radar is demonstrated through simulation results. The spikiness of the sea clutter is well modeled by the shape parameter v of the K-distribution. According to a well-known empirical formula, the shape parameter v changes with the radar resolution based on a constant power-law relation. However, as with most empirical findings, this finding is valid only for the environmental conditions under which the formula was developed. In other words, the existing power-law models for the shape parameter of the K-distribution for sea clutter do not consider the relative ratio of the cross-range resolution R_c to the spatial decorrelation length R_dec of the sea surface. Our study investigates this relation using statistical simulations based on the principle of superposition for backscattered signals that represent sea clutter within a resolved area on the sea surface. This study shows that the constant factor α in the power-law relation must be modified to a function of the ratio R_c/R_dec. The findings of this study will be useful for the evaluation of detection performance in designing radar systems operating in the maritime environment.

Jung-Hoon Park, Dong-Hoon Kim, Dong-Hwan Kim, and Sanghoek Kim, "Variation of the Shape Parameter of k -Distribution for Sea Clutter with the Spatial Correlation of Sea Surface," Progress In Electromagnetics Research Letters, Vol. 92, 25-30, 2020.
doi:10.2528/PIERL20042402
http://test.jpier.org/PIERL/pier.php?paper=20042402