Factors governing selection of operating frequency for subsurface- imaging synthetic-aperture radar

Conference · Fri Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:10134344

Brock, B C; Patitz, W E

A subsurface-imaging synthetic-aperture radar (SISAR) has potential for application in areas as diverse as non-proliferation programs for nuclear weapons to environmental monitoring. However, subsurface imaging is complicated by propagation loss in the soil and surface-clutter response. Both the loss and surface-clutter response depend on the operating frequency. This paper examines several factors which provide a basis for determining optimum frequencies and frequency ranges which will allow synthetic-aperture imaging of buried targets. No distinction can be made between objects at different heights when viewed with a conventional imaging radar (which uses a one-dimensional synthetic aperture), and the return from a buried object must compete with the return from the surface clutter. Thus, the signal-to-clutter ratio is an appropriate measure of performance for a SISAR. A parameter-based modeling approach is used to model the complex dielectric constant of the soil from measured data obtained from the literature. Theoretical random-surface scattering models, based on statistical solutions to Maxwell`s equations, are used to model the clutter. These models are combined to estimate the signal-to-clutter ratio for canonical targets buried in several soil configurations. Results indicate that the HF spectrum (3--30), although it could be used to detect certain targets under some conditions, has limited practical value for use with SISAR, while the upper VIHF through UHF spectrum ({approximately}100 MHz - 1 GHz) shows the most promise for a general purpose SISAR system. Recommendations are included for additional research.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 10134344
• Report Number(s): SAND-93-2010C; CONF-940449-2; ON: DE94008457; BR: GB0103012
• Resource Relation: Conference: Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers conference on intelligent information systems,Orlando, FL (United States),4-8 Apr 1994; Other Information: PBD: [1993]
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
SYNTHETIC-APERTURE RADAR
FREQUENCY SELECTION
ARMS CONTROL
VERIFICATION
ENVIRONMENT
MONITORING
UNDERGROUND
ATTENUATION
SOILS
BACKSCATTERING
420200
350300
540000
FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES