Chaotic radar using nonlinear laser dynamics

Abstract

A novel chaotic radar (CRADAR) system utilizing laser chaos is investigated both numerically and experimentally. Compared with conventional radars, the proposed CRADAR has the advantages of very-high-range resolution, unambiguous correlation profile, possibility of secure detection, low probability of intercept, and high electromagnetic compatibility. Generated by an optically injected semiconductor laser, chaotic waveforms with bandwidths larger than 10 GHz can be readily obtained. In this paper, the time series, the phase portraits, and the power spectra of the chaotic states are presented. The correlation traces between the signal and the reference waveforms are plotted. The peak sidelobe level with different correlation lengths is investigated. The capability of anti-jamming and the performance under additive white Gaussian noise are studied. To show the feasibility of CRADAR, proof-of-concept experiments using a pair of planar antennas with a 1.5-GHz bandwidth covering the range from 1.5 to 3 GHz are demonstrated. A range resolution of 9 cm is achieved, which is currently limited not by the bandwidth of the chaotic states but by the detection bandwidths of the real-time oscilloscope and the antennas used.