Experimental study of a polarization-rotating Van Atta array with reduced co-polarized radar cross-section

Fundamental experiment was conducted on a Van Atta array as a candidate of calibration target for airborne SAR. The problem of direct scattering from the elements was solved by giving a quarter-wavelength displacement between two sub-arrays. The result showed a good retrodirectivity with smooth reflection pattern as a function of the rotation angle and polarization rotating characteristic, while the directly backscattered waves were suppressed well.