Correlation analysis of X-band sea clutter in complex domain

The correlation analysis of sea clutter data in a complex domain is conducted in this study. Specific to X-band sea clutter, the statistical characteristics of the complex correlation, particularly the phase characteristics which are closely related to the phase difference of the sea clutter and the Doppler properties, are analyzed in detail based on the experimental data, recorded by the McMaster University IPIX radar in 1993. That the phase term of the complex correlation presents linear change means that there exists the linearity of phase differences between different time intervals in the X-band sea clutter. This investigation explores the regularities about the effect of wind on the complex correlation with similar patterns for different polarization modes. The regularities indicate that the wind direction can be inferred from the distribution pattern of the complex correlation. Moreover, a model describing the relationships between the statistics of the complex correlation and wind parameters is proposed. The application for target detection based on the differences of characteristics of complex correlations between the sea clutter and the target are also investigated and the proposed features have been confirmed. The principle of the method is fundamental for broader future applications.