RIA: Short-Pulse, Ultra-Wideband Scattering Range

在这项研究启动奖的资助下，将开发一种新的桌面、超宽带、时间域散射范围。皮秒激光将被用于光导切换平面天线，产生和检测自由传播的电磁(EM)辐射的皮秒脉冲。电磁脉冲的带宽将超过10-80 GHz，并将允许人们在一次测量中获得超宽带散射数据。在这项工作中，将设计和制造新的天线，以增加辐射功率和改善信噪比。这些天线将使测量低Q值目标的后期响应成为可能。此外，光纤将被用来将光脉冲引导到天线，从而产生一个发射器和接收器可以任意移动的系统。这种新的散射范围具有在传统散射范围中找不到的带宽和灵活性，不使用传统的微波或毫米波设备。使用该系统研究的特殊结构包括部分开放的腔体、层状介质和嵌入层状介质中的靶材。为了与实验结果进行比较，还将对这种环境中的短脉冲散射进行计算。

A novel table top, ultra wideband, time domain scattering range will be developed under this Research Initiation Award grant. A picosecond laser will be used to switch planar antennas photoconductively, generating and detecting picosecond bursts of freely propagating electromagnetic (EM) radiation. The EM pulses will have bandwidth extending over 10-80 GHz, and will allow one to obtain ultra-wideband scattering data in a single measurement. In this work new antennas that increase the radiated power and improve signal- to-noise will be designed and fabricated. These antennas will make feasible the measurement of the late-time response of low-Q targets. Additionally, optical fiber will be used to guide the optical pulses to the antennas, yielding a system in which the transmitter and receiver can be moved about arbitrarily. This new scattering range has bandwidth and flexibility that are not found in conventional scattering ranges, and uses no conventional microwave nor millimeter-wave equipment. Particular structures that will be investigated with this system include partially open cavities, layered media, and targets embedded in layered media. Calculations of short-pulse scattering in such environments will also be made for comparison with experimental results.