METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR REMOTELY DETECTING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS USING ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGY

• US 20120305773A1
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Government of the United States of America, Temple University of The Commonwealth System of Higher Education
• Original Assignee: Temple University of The Commonwealth System of Higher Education, Naval Research Laboratory (U.S. Department Of Defense)
• Inventors: WU, DONG HO, TAO, RONGJIA, GRABER, BENJAMIN D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,494,512 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/339.07
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/1793 Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/1795 Atmospheric mapping of gases
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3504 for analysing gases, e.g. multi-gas analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3581 using far infrared light; using Terahertz radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0057 Warfare agents or explosives
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/005 operating with millimetre waves, e.g. measuring the black losey radiation

Abstract

Systems and methods for remotely detecting nuclear and non-nuclear materials such as chemical agents and gas-phase explosives are disclosed. Nuclear and non-nuclear materials may be detected by transmitting electromagnetic energy toward a remote target area, collecting scattered electromagnetic energy reflected from the remote target area, analyzing an absorption spectrum of the collected scattered electromagnetic energy, and detecting a presence of at least one nuclear or non-nuclear material in the remote target area based on the analyzed absorption spectrum.

Claims

1. A method for remotely detecting nuclear materials, the method comprising:

transmitting electromagnetic energy toward a remote target area;

collecting scattered electromagnetic energy reflected from the remote target area;

analyzing an absorption spectrum of the collected scattered electromagnetic energy; and

detecting a presence of at least one nuclear material in the remote target area based on the analyzed absorption spectrum.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rejecting noise present in the collected scattered electromagnetic energy.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an indication of the presence of the at least one detected nuclear material.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting step comprises:

selectively transmitting the electromagnetic energy at a plurality of frequencies within a frequency range.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the frequency range is between about 50 GHz and about 3 THz.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the frequency range is between about 1.5 THz and about 2 THz.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the transmitted electromagnetic energy includes at least one of a millimeter-wave beam or a far-infrared beam.

8. A system for remotely detecting nuclear material, wherein the system comprises:

a transmitter that transmits electromagnetic energy toward a remote target area;

a detector that collects scattered electromagnetic energy reflected from the remote target area;

an analyzer that analyzes an absorption spectrum of the collected scattered electromagnetic energy and detects a presence of at least one nuclear material in the remote target area based on the analyzed absorbed spectrum.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a lock-in amplifier that increases a signal-to-noise ratio by rejecting noise from the collected scattered electromagnetic energy.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a controller that tunes the transmitter and the detector to a same frequency and a same bandwidth.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the transmitter transmits at least one of a millimeter-wave beam or a far-infrared beam.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the signal transmitter transmits electromagnetic energy having a frequency from between about 50 GHz and about 3 THz.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

an interface that displays an indication of the presence of the detected at least one nuclear material.

14. A method for remotely detecting non-nuclear materials, the method comprising:

transmitting electromagnetic energy toward a remote target area;

collecting scattered electromagnetic energy reflected from the remote target area;

analyzing an absorption spectrum of the collected scattered electromagnetic energy; and

detecting a presence of at least one non-nuclear material in the remote target area based on the analyzed absorption spectrum.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

rejecting noise present in the collected scattered electromagnetic energy.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying an indication of the presence of the at least one detected non-nuclear material.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the transmitting step comprises:

selectively transmitting the electromagnetic energy at a plurality of frequencies within a frequency range.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the frequency range is between about 50 GHz and about 3 THz.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the frequency range is between about 1.5 THz and about 2 THz.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the transmitted electromagnetic energy includes at least one of a millimeter-wave beam or a far-infrared beam.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the non-nuclear material is a chemical agent.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the non-nuclear material is a gas-phase explosive.

23. A system for remotely detecting non-nuclear material, wherein the system comprises:

a transmitter that transmits electromagnetic energy toward a remote target area;

a detector that collects scattered electromagnetic energy reflected from the remote target area;

an analyzer that analyzes an absorption spectrum of the collected scattered electromagnetic energy and detects a presence of at least one non-nuclear material in the remote target area based on the analyzed absorbed spectrum.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

a lock-in amplifier that increases a signal-to-noise ratio by rejecting noise from the collected scattered electromagnetic energy.

25. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

a controller that tunes the transmitter and the detector to a same frequency and a same bandwidth.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the transmitter transmits at least one of a millimeter-wave beam or a far-infrared beam.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the signal transmitter transmits electromagnetic energy having a frequency from between about 50 GHz and about 3 THz.

28. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

an interface that displays an indication of the presence of the detected at least one non-nuclear material.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein the non-nuclear material is a chemical agent.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the non-nuclear material is a gas-phase explosive.