Passive stand-off terahertz imaging with 1 hertz frame rate

T. May; G. Zieger; S. Anders; V. Zakosarenko; M. Starkloff; H.-G. Meyer; G. Thorwirth; E. Kreysa

doi:10.1117/12.777952

15 April 2008 Passive stand-off terahertz imaging with 1 hertz frame rate

T. May, G. Zieger, S. Anders, V. Zakosarenko, M. Starkloff, H.-G. Meyer, G. Thorwirth, E. Kreysa

Proceedings Volume 6949, Terahertz for Military and Security Applications VI; 69490C (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.777952
Event: SPIE Defense and Security Symposium, 2008, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

Terahertz (THz) cameras are expected to be a powerful tool for future security applications. If such a technology shall be useful for typical security scenarios (e.g. airport check-in) it has to meet some minimum standards. A THz camera should record images with video rate from a safe distance (stand-off). Although active cameras are conceivable, a passive system has the benefit of concealed operation. Additionally, from an ethic perspective, the lack of exposure to a radiation source is a considerable advantage in public acceptance. Taking all these requirements into account, only cooled detectors are able to achieve the needed sensitivity. A big leap forward in the detector performance and scalability was driven by the astrophysics community. Superconducting bolometers and midsized arrays of them have been developed and are in routine use. Although devices with many pixels are foreseeable nowadays a device with an additional scanning optic is the straightest way to an imaging system with a useful resolution. We demonstrate the capabilities of a concept for a passive Terahertz video camera based on superconducting technology. The actual prototype utilizes a small Cassegrain telescope with a gyrating secondary mirror to record 2 kilopixel THz images with 1 second frame rate.

Citation Download Citation

T. May, G. Zieger, S. Anders, V. Zakosarenko, M. Starkloff, H.-G. Meyer, G. Thorwirth, and E. Kreysa "Passive stand-off terahertz imaging with 1 hertz frame rate", Proc. SPIE 6949, Terahertz for Military and Security Applications VI, 69490C (15 April 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.777952

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available