Imaging, Doppler, and Spectroscopic Radars from 95 to 700 GHz

Imaging, Doppler, and spectroscopic radars from 95 to 700 GHz, all using the frequency-modulated continuous-wave technique, are in various stages of development for both defense and science applications at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For standoff security screening, a 340 GHz imaging radar now achieves an 8.3 Hz frame, and it has been tested using power-efficient MMIC-based active multiplier sources into its front end. That system evolved from a 680 GHz security radar platform, which has also been modified to operate in a Doppler mode for probing the dynamics of blowing sand and sensing small-amplitude target vibrations. Meanwhile, 95 and 183 GHz radars based on similar RF architectures are currently being developed to probe cometary jets in space and, using a differential absorption technique, humidity inside upper-tropospheric clouds.