Wideband waveform design for clutter suppression

Modern signal generators offer the capability to synthesize arbitrary wideband waveforms for radar and sonar applications. This makes it possible to optimize signals for specific purposes or scenarios. Herein, we discuss how to design a wideband waveform for clutter suppression. We formulate an optimization in terms of mainlobe and sidelobe properties of the ambiguity function, then we provide an approximate solution based on convex relaxation. Numerical evaluation shows the advantage of selecting a smart signal compared to a conventional waveform design. The advantages are shown as a lower probability of false alarm and a higher probability of correct target detection.