Electromagnetic scattering from buried objects

Technical Report · Sat Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10190500· OSTI ID:10190500

Brock, B C; Sorensen, K W

Radar imaging and detection of objects buried in soil has potentially important applications in the areas of nonproliferation of weapons, environmental monitoring, hazardous-waste site location and assessment, and even archeology. In order to understand and exploit this potential, it is first necessary to understand how the soil responds to an electromagnetic wave, and how targets buried within the soil scatter the electromagnetic wave. We examine the response of the soil to a short pulse, and illustrate the roll of the complex dielectric permittivity of the soil in determining radar range resolution. This leads to a concept of an optimum frequency and bandwidth for imaging in a particular soil. We then propose a new definition for radar cross section which is consistent with the modified radar equation for use with buried targets. This radar cross section plays the same roll in the modified radar equation as the traditional radar cross section does in the free-space radar equation, and is directly comparable to it. The radar cross section of several canonical objects in lossy media is derived, and examples are given for several object/soil combinations.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 10190500
• Report Number(s): SAND--94-2361; ON: DE95001858
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

440700
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
450000
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540250
ABANDONED SITES
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES
GEOPHYSICAL AND METEOROLOGICAL INSTRUMENTATION
MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
MONITORING
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
RADIATION SCATTERING ANALYSIS
REMOTE SENSING
SITE RESOURCE AND USE STUDIES
SOILS
SYNTHETIC-APERTURE RADAR
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
UNDERGROUND STORAGE
WEAPONS