Terahertz Signature Modeling for Kill Assessment and Warhead Materials Identification

The physical phenomena that dominates the use of submillimeter (SMM) spectra for the analysis of missile intercepts is the rapid cooling of the post-intercept gas and debris field and its impact on the SMM spectral signatures and post-impact chemistry. It is likely that the initial high temperatures and density will result in a molecular soup that is much more complex than the atomic mixtures that provide the short time emission spectra. With this complexity and richness of spectra come the prospects of much more signature specificity, as well as additional information about the physical states of the expanding gas cloud. An important aspect of the proposed Phase 1 effort will be to determine if enough information exists or can be developed for the envisioned Phase 2 code development. If not, we will provide alternative paths forward toward that end. These will emphasize the use of general principles of spectroscopy, chemistry, and remote sensing to establish those points in the evolution of the expanding gas and debris fields that are most likely to provide useful signatures so that resources can be focused on developing the required chemical, spectroscopic, and physical information.