Eigenanalysis-based space-time adaptive radar: performance analysis

The space-time radar problem is well suited to the application of techniques that take advantage of the low rank property of the space-time covariance matrix. The performance of an eigenanalysis-based detector with respect to convergence rate and robustness to calibration errors is analyzed. Analytical expressions are developed for receiver operating curves when the clutter signal environment is assumed to be Gaussian. The curves are derived from the asymptotic expansion of the distribution of the principal components of the covariance matrix. Simulation results are provided to corroborate the theoretical analysis. Examples from the Mountain-Top dataset are used to illustrate the higher convergence rate and increased robustness of the eigenanalysis method.