Exploiting polarimetric diversity in FM-based PCL

In this paper the exploitation of different linear polarimetric channels is considered as a way to mitigate the effect of interfering sources and to improve the target detection capability in a FM radio-based passive radar. An effective approach is introduced to jointly exploit the diversity of information conveyed by different polarizations at the surveillance channel. The results are shown against a real data set collected by an experimental multi-channel passive radar prototype. Besides the expected improvement due to non-coherent integration of target echoes received on multiple channels, the proposed multi-polarimetric operation is shown to yield a remarkable improvement when operating in a severe interference scenario so that it can be regarded as a practical solution for robust and effective passive coherent location (PCL). © 2014 IEEE.