A TIME DOMAIN TECHNIQUE FOR MECHANISM EXTRACTION

The properties of a structure's scattered fields can be decomposed into characteristics due to the individual scattering mechanisms involved. The various techniques used for decomposition rely on the principle of relative time delay between the various scattering centers to isolate one mechanism from another. The relative time delay is contained in the relative phase for each scatterer. The relative phase for the scattering centers is related to their physical location on the scattering body. Several techniques are reviewed and classified either as matrix or integral formulations. With either formulation, aspect pattern or frequency information of a scattering center can be obtained. The authors then present an integral (time domain) isolation extraction technique to obtain the frequency characteristics of scattering mechanisms which has its origins in the time domain interpretation of scattered fields.