In-Harbor/At-Sea Ship Defense with Terahertz Sensors

The Phase II component of this project will scale from the gigahertz to the terahertz regime the new antennas, pulse generators, detectors and modulation concepts modeled and demonstrated in Phase I. Phase II efforts will focus on arrays for generating and detecting broadband radiation from 50 GHz to above 0.5 THz (where atmospheric absorption is minimized) for sensing concealed threats. Portability and even compatibility with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is enabled by solid-state pulsed sources and compatible ultra-wideband antennas that will be fabricated and integrated in the Base-level effort. Reflection spectra from various targets will be determined, and work will be done on integration with UAVs in cooperation with the Naval Research Laboratory. Further work on commercialization will be pursued through market research and completing a business plan. In the Option-level effort, an antenna and pulser array will be assembled for scale-model demonstration, followed by development of a coherent exciter subsystem, and finally an array at the THz scale will be realized. The systems to be developed will serve both Navy and commercial interests for enhanced security through spectroscopic imaging and weapons detection.