Synthetic aperture radar based on photonic-assisted signal generation and processing

A microwave photonic synthetic aperture radar is proposed. Photonic-assisted microwave frequency doubling is used to generate a linearly-frequency-modulated radar signal in the transmitter end. In the receiver end, photonic de-chirping is employed to process the reflection signal. The proposed coherent microwave photonic radar is experimentally demonstrated and evaluated in a microwave anechoic chamber through a series of imaging experiments. The imaging results verify that the microwave photonic synthetic aperture radar works well and show a potential of microwave photonic techniques for high-resolution and fast radar imaging in the future.