Photonics-based dual-functional system for simultaneous high-resolution radar imaging and fast frequency measurement

A photonics-based dual-functional system is proposed that can simultaneously implement high-resolution radar imaging and fast frequency measurement. In this system, the radar is realized based on photonic frequency doubling and de-chirp receiving, and the frequency measurement is achieved by a novel frequency-to-time mapping method. In the experimental demonstration, the radar works in Ku band with a bandwidth of 6 GHz (12–18 GHz), through which inverse synthetic aperture radar imaging with a resolution as high as ∼2.6  cm×∼2.8  cm is achieved. The frequency measurement module operates in Ka band, which can achieve a measurement frequency range from 28 GHz to 37 GHz, with a measurement resolution of 40 MHz and a refresh rate of 100 kHz.