An improved polarimetric model for millimeter wave radiometry

Albert Pergande; John Pham; Lee Mirth

doi:10.1117/12.665819

19 May 2006 An improved polarimetric model for millimeter wave radiometry

Albert Pergande, John Pham, Lee Mirth

Proceedings Volume 6211, Passive Millimeter-Wave Imaging Technology IX; 621106 (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.665819
Event: Defense and Security Symposium, 2006, Orlando (Kissimmee), Florida, United States

Abstract

As semiconductor costs drop, Millimeterwave (MMW) imaging becomes more attractive to users of remote sensing and security applications. Many cameras have been reported in the millimeter and even Terahertz bands, and early images are always exciting. However, good system models are required to predict operational performance. All bodies above Absolute Zero emit energy in accordance with Planck's law. However, the actual energy emitted depends not only on the object temperature, but the emmisivity and surrounding temperature. Some materials have high emmisivity, such as water or microwave absorber, and they emit primarily their own blackbody energy. Other materials, such as metals, have very low emmisivity, and principally reflect the world around them. While there are no truly exotic physics involved, getting models 'right' in some useful sense is a difficult and time consuming process. A simple ray trace method with a non-polar environment / emmisivity models provides a basis to predict imager performance. An unpolarized illumination source and an unpolarized detector are assumed to begin, which are then extended to include polar effects. Inclusion of polar effects simply requires the complex dielectric constant, and the angle of incidence for the ray being traced.

Citation Download Citation

Albert Pergande, John Pham, and Lee Mirth "An improved polarimetric model for millimeter wave radiometry", Proc. SPIE 6211, Passive Millimeter-Wave Imaging Technology IX, 621106 (19 May 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.665819

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