LFM Signal After Matched Filter Processing

As mentioned in the text, when a Linear Frequency Modulated (LFM) signal passes through a matched filter, it achieves pulse compression—a crucial technique for improving range resolution in radar systems. This process effectively compresses the wide-duration LFM pulse into a narrow peak, enhancing target detection capability. From an implementation perspective, matched filtering can be realized through cross-correlation between the received signal and a time-reversed conjugated version of the transmitted LFM waveform, or equivalently via frequency-domain multiplication using FFT operations. Additionally, the matched filter optimizes the signal's spectral characteristics by maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the output, thereby improving overall radar system performance. Consequently, employing matched filters significantly boosts radar signal processing efficiency and adaptability, making them suitable for diverse application scenarios such as synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and moving target indication (MTI).