Beyond Point Targets: Experimental Analysis of Frequency Anisotropy for Multi-band ISAC in FR3

Abstract

As Integrated Sensing And Communication (ISAC) systems push toward higher sensing resolution, multi-band processing has emerged as a key enabler, with Frequency Range 3 (FR3) (7-24 GHz) standing out for its combination of wide bandwidth and favorable propagation. A common assumption underlying existing multi-band ISAC techniques is that targets behave as frequency-invariant point scatterers, enabling coherent combination of measurements across widely spaced subbands. However, this assumption does not hold over wide fractional bandwidths, since real objects exhibit frequency-dependent scattering mechanisms and migrating scattering centers. This paper provides the first systematic experimental characterization of the frequency anisotropy of everyday objects for ISAC, using channel measurements collected with a calibrated vector network analyzer over the 6-24 GHz band, across 10 objects and 120 viewpoints. We process bistatic channel impulse responses and synthetic aperture radar images to quantify multi-band coherence, extracting the real part of the cross-band correlation coefficient. Our results reveal complex, non-trivial coherence structures that vary substantially with object type and viewing angle, highlighting the need to account for frequency anisotropy in multi-band ISAC system design.