Title :
Alignment and illumination issues in scaled THz RCS measurements
Author :
Jansen, C. ; Krumbholz, N. ; Geise, R. ; Probst, T. ; Peters, O. ; Enders, A. ; Koch, M.
Author_Institution :
Inst. fur Hochfrequenztech., Tech. Univ. Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
Abstract :
Radar cross section (RCS) measurements are widely employed for the target identification of objects such as aircraft. The RCS of large, complex geometries is usually determined in a well defined, scaled experimental setup. In such a setup, the measuring frequency equates the frequency of interest multiplied by the scaling factor of the model. For high scaling factors, frequencies well above 100 GHz result so that conventional microwave equipment reaches its technological limits. In this paper, we discuss the use of a fiber coupled terahertz time domain spectroscopy system for angle dependent RCS measurements. Several measurements on simple objects like metal plates with corresponding simulations are performed. We also investigate how angular misalignment and displacement of the scatterer effects the measurement results. Moreover, we discuss the influence of non planar incident wavefronts and compare experimentally obtained data to simulations using an enhanced physical optics model.
Keywords :
object detection; optical fibre couplers; radar cross-sections; submillimetre wave measurement; terahertz spectroscopy; THz measurement; angle dependent RCS measurement; angular misalignment; fiber coupled terahertz time domain spectroscopy system; nonplanar incident wavefronts; physical optics model; radar cross section measurement; scaling factor; scatterer effects; target identification; Aircraft; Frequency measurement; Geometry; Lighting; Microwave devices; Microwave technology; Optical fiber devices; Radar cross section; Spectroscopy; Submillimeter wave technology;
Conference_Titel :
Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves, 2009. IRMMW-THz 2009. 34th International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Busan
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-5416-7
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-5417-4
DOI :
10.1109/ICIMW.2009.5324664