Novel Directed Energy Options in Ballistic Missile Defense

High power microwave (HPM) sources have been developed over the past few decades for many important DoD missions ranging from electronic warfare to intentional EMI to impulse radar. In this proposal, we describe an integrated program that seeks to develop innovative solutions based on mesoband source and antenna technology to improve the effectiveness of HPM-based BMD systems. Our research will be focused both on the sources that generate the HPM energy and the antennas that deliver it. The primary current limitation on the antenna front is the development of efficient radiators that can fit into the compact spaces available on BMD systems. To address these issues, we propose metamaterial-enhanced and metamaterial-inspired compact antenna designs that take advantage of recent advances in low power electrically small antennas for communications applications.