Average SCR loss analysis for polarimetric STAP with Kronecker structured covariance matrix

Abstract

The paper presents the average signal-to-clutter loss (SCRL) analysis for polarimetric space-time adaptive processing by exploiting the Kronecker structure of the clutter covariance matrix (CM). An expression for the average SCRL as a function of the mean square error of the corresponding CM estimator is derived. Based on that expression, one can determine how many samples are required in order to achieve a desired SCRL. The proposed average SCRL analysis methodology can be extended to more general scenarios, where closedform CM estimates are not available. Simulations indicate that even in the non-asymptotic regime, the proposed method can provide a good prediction of the average SCRL.