Asymmetric micro-Doppler frequency comb generation via magnetoelectric coupling

Electromagnetic scattering from moving bodies, being an inherently time-dependent phenomenon, gives rise to a generation of new frequencies, which can be used to characterize the motion. Whereas an ordinary motion along a linear path produces a constant Doppler shift, an accelerated scatterer can generate a micro-Doppler frequency comb. The spectra produced by rotating objects were studied and observed in a bistatic lock-in detection scheme. The internal geometry of a scatterer was shown to determine the spectrum, and the degree of structural asymmetry was suggested to be identified via signatures in the micro-Doppler comb. In particular, hybrid magnetoelectric particles, showing an ultimate degree of asymmetry in forward and backward scattering directions, were investigated. It was shown that the comb in the backward direction has signatures at the fundamental rotation frequency and its odd harmonics, whereas the comb of the forward scattered field has a prevailing peak at the doubled frequency and its multiples. Additional features of the comb were shown to be affected by the dimensions of the particle and by the strength of the magnetoelectric coupling. Experimental verification was performed with a printed circuit board antenna based on a wire and a split ring, while the structure was illuminated at a 2 GHz carrier frequency. Detailed analysis of micro-Doppler combs enables remote detection of asymmetric features of distant objects and could find use in a span of applications, including stellar radiometry and radio identification.