Polarization space time adaptive processing based on maximum likelihood polarization vector estimation

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In airborne radar, signal to clutter plus noise ratio (SCNR) can be improved by utilizing polarization space time adaptive processing (PSTAP). The optimal output SCNR is obtained when the expected polarization-space-time (PST) vector matches the true value. The problem of polarization parameters estimation limits the potential application of PSTAP. The inaccuracy of polarization parameters estimation unevitably causes SCNR loss. In this paper, the effect of expected polarization vector on output SCNR is analyzed on the basis of PSTAP theory. In order to reduce SCNR loss introduced by polarization mismatch, an engineering PSTAP based on maximum likelihood method is proposed. Experimental data show that this method can accurately estimate the polarization parameters, improving SCNR about 2~3dB compared with the conventional STAP.