Low-Range-Sidelobe Waveform Design for Dual-Function-Radar-Communication System

Dual-function radar-communication (DFRC) systems are key to addressing spectrum congestion and hardware constraints in future 5G/6G networks. Among various DFRC waveform candidates, OFDM stands out for its flexibility, but its high range sidelobes pose challenges for weak target detection in cluttered environments. In this work, we propose a novel waveform optimization framework that jointly minimizes the peak sidelobe level (PSL), maintains a low symbol error rate (SER), and enforces constant envelope constraints. To solve the resulting non-convex, NP-hard problem efficiently, we introduce a Block-wise Majorization-Minimization (BWMM) algorithm that iteratively refines the phase of each OFDM symbol to suppress both auto- and cross-correlation sidelobes. Theoretical analysis and simulation results validate that the proposed BWMM-PSL method significantly enhances radar sensing performance while preserving communication reliability.