What determines the minimum range in a radar system?

The minimum range in a radar system is primarily determined by the transmitter pulse time or pulse width. This is because the radar emits pulses of energy to detect objects, and the time it takes for the system to send out a pulse and receive the echo back is critical in defining how close a target can be detected.

When a radar system transmits a pulse, it cannot immediately send another pulse until the previous one has been transmitted and the echo has been received. If the pulse width is too long, the radar will not be able to detect very close objects since it would still be engaged in processing the previous pulse. Therefore, shorter pulse widths allow the radar system to effectively determine targets at closer ranges because they create opportunities for receiving reflected signals from nearby objects without the interference of a new outgoing pulse.

Other factors such as receiver sensitivity, maximum frequency range, and signal processing speed impact the overall performance of a radar system, but they do not directly dictate the minimum operational range as pulse width does.