Time and Frequency Blanking for Radio-Frequency Interference Mitigation in Microwave Radiometry

Radio-frequency interference (RFI) is a major limiting factor in passive microwave remote sensing and radio astronomy. A digitally based radiometer system has been developed to improve RFI mitigation through the use of high temporal and spectral resolution. The system includes a pulse-blanking algorithm that is capable of removing pulsed time-domain sources in real time. Cross-frequency mitigation is also possible in postprocessing through the use of the system's high spectral resolution. Several experiments have been conducted at L- and C-bands in recent years. Datasets from two particular campaigns are analyzed in this paper: ground-based observations at L-band in Canton, Michigan that emphasize pulse blanking and an airborne campaign at C-band over Texas and the Gulf of Mexico that emphasizes cross-frequency mitigation. Results and analyses are presented to quantify the RFI mitigation performance achieved.