Compact, Low Noise Electrodes for Air Deployed Marine Electric Field Sensors

Buoys for marine surveillance have traditionally employed acoustic sensors for target detection and classification. However, there are situations, particularly in littoral environments, in which the performance of these sensors can be significantly compromised. Underwater electric field sensors offer the capability for target detection through sensing the electromagnetic fields generated by marine vessels. A buoy capable of detecting these signatures could offer significant advantages. The use of E-field sensing underwater has, up until now, been hampered by the practical performance of available sensor technology. Results have been dependent on varied factors such as temperature, salinity, microstructural differences among electrodes used, and prior exposure to air and light. QUASAR Federal Systems proposes to leverage its compact, robust underwater sensing technology, which is immune to these effects, to develop a dry-storable electrode technology with a low noise floor in the frequency bands of interest that provides immediate signal transduction upon contact with seawater for the next generation of underwater electric field sensors. In Phase II we will collaborate with Ultra Electronics Undersea Sensor Systems Inc. (USSI) to build and test E-field sensors for ocean deployments. In Phase III we will develop a production design to integrate into existing naval sonobuoy systems.