Intra-Pulse Radar-Embedded Communications
Project Award Date: 04-17-2008
Description
Research will develop and validate the principles, metrics, and algorithms for intra-pulse radar-embedded communications to facilitate covert high-throughput data transmission. Detection of this embedded signal is extremely difficult unless the desired receiver possesses prior knowledge of the set of possible communication waveforms and employs coherent interference cancellation.
Previous approaches based on inter-pulse, Doppler-like modulation realize data rates on the order of a few bits encoded over an interval of hundreds of pulses. However, preliminary investigation via simulation indicates that intra-pulse radar-embedded communication has the potential to achieve data rates commensurate with speech given a typical radar pulse repetition frequency, while still maintaining a low intercept probability. The research is fundamental in nature, aimed at defining and developing the mathematical foundation for embedding communication waveforms within the radar scatter. The experimental effort will involve the collection and analysis of radar-embedded communications data obtained via ITTC’s Radar Systems & Remote Sensing Lab (RSL).
Investigators
Faculty Investigator(s): Shannon Blunt (PI)
Student Investigator(s): Casey Biggs, Justin Metcalf
Project Sponsors
Primary Sponsor(s): U.S. Air Force
