CAREER: Time-domain Forward and Inverse Scattering Techniques for Ultrawideband Remote Sensing

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Microwave ground penetrating radar can detect landmines, locate undergroundpipes and identify subsurface defects in runways. Millimeter-waves canpenetrate through non-conductive walls and clothing, and many packaging.Remote sensing systems based on millimeter waves allow detection ofcontraband, plastic explosives, and ceramic weapons, while providing goodimage identification and resolution. Because microwaves and mm-waves canalso better penetrate through dust, fog, and smoke, they are useful inbattlefield scenarios, terrorist attack responses, and fire rescueoperations.In this project, we will study and develop new time-domain inversiontechniques that exploit fundamental aspects of ultra-wideband (UWB)scattering and propagation in random (disordered) media. UWB remote sensingsystems are attractive because they take advantage of operation at bothlower (more penetration into lossy materials) and higher frequencies (largerresolution), and are more immune to both atmospheric and multipathinterference effects. The new imaging and detection techniques will utilizetime-reversal synthetic back-propagation to achieve super-resolution,time-domain statistical stability, and selective focusing of UWB signals indisordered media. We will also develop new time-domain forward solvers forUWB wave propagation in random media. The resulting forward solvers willallow the simulation of virtual scenes of increasingly realistic remotesensing scenarios and with increased geometric fidelity and numericalaccuracy, thus allowing for better synthetic discrimination of UWB weakscattering mechanisms and improved overall efficiency of inverse scatteringalgorithms.The above research objectives are integrated with an educational componentaimed at developing a strong interdisciplinary program for engineeringstudents. At the undergraduate level, it will involve the curricularrevision and improvement of undergraduate courses, and the introduction ofundergraduate early research experiences aligned with the above researchobjectives. At the graduate level, this project will develop two newgraduate courses, and will involve graduate students on all aspects of thisproject.