Early Stage Researcher (M/F/D) - Adaptive compressed sensing methods for more efficient radar detection and localization

The range resolution of a radar system is directly propotional to its bandwidth. Applications demand more and more range resolution and thus higher high frequency bandwidths. Unfortunately, these bandwidths are limited because of several reasons like techical (hardware limitations), atmospherical windows and specific regulations. A promising approach to overcome these limitations is to use conventional small band radars with disjoint frequency bands and fuse the data using compressed sensing methods to gain a high overall bandwidth.

The main focus of the project lies on the scientific investigation of innovative radar signal processing methods on real measured data like compressed sensing to overcome millimeter wave radar system limitation in bandwidth, which is caused in the usage of only relative small particular frequency bands.

Thereto two suitable measurement setups will be developed to investigate the performance of the available hardware and the implementation of compressed sensing algorithms applied to the measured data. The first setup will be based on a network analyzer for measurements in an anechoic chamber and the second one on a coherent multi frequency radar system for open space measurements working at particular radio frequencies in the frequency band up to 96 GHz. Thereby it will be possible to investigate the potential of achieving super resolution below 3 mm in the range direction and of improving inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) image resolution.

The successful candidate will be employed for a maximum period of three years full-time equivalent and receives a generous financial package plus an additional mobility and family allowance according to the rules for Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) in an EU Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Networks (ITN). A career development plan will be prepared for each fellow in accordance with his/her supervisor and will include training, planned secondments and outreach activities in partner institutions of the network. The ESR fellows are supposed to complete their PhD thesis by the end of the 3rd year of their employment. For more information please visit the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Networks website.

YOUR TASKS

• Theory development and simulations on the application of compressed sensing methods to reconstruct high resolution range profiles from two disjoint band radar signals
• Generation of data using a laboratory setup as well as a set of radars and processing the data with the developed processor.
• Investigation of adaptive sensing and dictionary learning methods to acquire radar data.
• Application to various radar domains, including SAR or ISAR imaging

PROFILE

• Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, Physics or Mathematics
• ESRs must demonstrate that their ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English is sufficiently high for them to derive the full benefit from the network training. English level C1
• Experience in compressed sensing
• Experience in imaging and SAR processing
• Knowledge in Matlab

PLANNED SECONDMENTS

The algorithmic and the experimental part will be centred at Fraunhofer FHR. For the adaption of the process to measured ISAR data Sabanci University can provide support.

• SU (SPIS), Sabanci, Turkey, Prof. Dr. M. Çetin, 3 months, CS algorithm development.
• WIS (SAMPL), Israel, Prof. Dr. Y. Eldar, 2 months, refinement of CS algorithms.
• USI (ZESS), Siegen, Germany, Prof. O. Loffeld, 4 months, application of algorithms to different sensor types.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Sensors and Radar Techniques FHR develops concepts, algorithms and systems in the electromagnetically sensing domain, mostly in the field of radar. In the last years compressed sensing becomes more and more important for radar signal processing, because physical and regulatory limits slow down the developments of new innovative system improvements.

An appropriate example, where compressed sensing can be used to improve the radar system characteristics, is the maximization of the range resolution of a radar system. Up to now , the radar system with the highest bandwidth worldwide was developed by the Fraunhofer institute FHR and works with a very high center radio frequency (RF) of 290 GHz and a bandwidth of 44 GHz. It can be shown, that ISAR images and SAR images with an image resolution of 3.5 mm can be processed.

Radar systems operate mostly in lower frequency bands up to 100 GHz and provide much lower instantaneous bandwidths. This is caused in performance limitations of available system components, frequency band restrictions to avoid high atmospheric attenuation and regulations of the frequency band usage.

Using compressed sensing these conventional small radar bands should be combined to a high resolution radar. In a further step also ISAR imaging should be investigated.

If you are interested in the MENELAOS project and this position please apply online (https://www.menelaos-nt.eu/esr6/).