GLRT Detector in Single Frequency Multi-static Passive Radar Systems

The target detection problem in multi-static passive radar systems (MS-PRS) is investigated, where multiple transmitters operate at a single frequency and a single multi-antenna radar receiver processes the received signals. In contrast to multi-frequency MS-PRS, the detector design is challenging due to the fact that the detector sees a mixture of transmitted signals which may not be separately treated. We propose the design of generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) receivers to optimize the detection performance. The beamformers at the radar receiver are optimized so that the received signals can be seen as statistically independent signals from multiple reference channels and a surveillance channel. The detector optimization problem is accurately approximated with a convex optimization algorithm. It is analytically shown that the performance of the proposed GLRT receiver approaches that of the active radar. Computer simulations verify the analytical results.