Countermeasure system and method using quantum dots

• US 7,916,065 B1
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Skidmore, Mark, Mintz, Nathan, Spariosu, Kalin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brainard; Timothy A
• Application Number:
  US12/334,148
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 342 5- 20
• US Class Current: 342/13
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/02 Anti-aircraft or anti-guided missile or anti-torpedo defence installations or systems cartridges or missiles for producing smoke or for dispensing radar chaff or infrared material F42B5/15, F42B12/48, F42B12/70; informative reference: details of radar or sonar systems G01S7/00; jamming or electronic countermeasures G01S7/38, G01S7/495, H04K3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F41J 2/00 Reflecting targets, e.g. radar-reflector targets; Active targets transmitting electromagnetic or acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/38 Jamming means, e.g. producing false echoes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/495 Counter-measures or counter-counter-measures using electronic or electro-optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/002 made of materials engineered to provide properties not available in nature, e.g. metamaterials
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/145 comprising a plurality of reflecting particles, e.g. radar chaff missiles of the signal type provided with means for disseminating radar-reflecting chaff F42B12/70

Abstract

In one embodiment, a countermeasure system for protecting an asset from a missile attack includes a decoy comprising a plurality of quantum dots selected to emit radiation having a radiation emission profile similar to a profile of a radiation signature of the asset. In another embodiment, a method of simulating a radiation signature of an asset using quantum dots includes dispersing quantum dots to form a cloud of quantum dots; and exciting the quantum dots with a first radiation so that the quantum dots emit a second radiation having a profile similar to the radiation signature profile of the asset.

Claims

1. A countermeasure system for protecting a satellite from a missile attack, the system comprising:

a decoy comprising a plurality of quantum dots, the quantum dots being selected, responsive to excitation radiation, to emit radiation having an emission profile similar to a profile of a blackbody radiation signature of the satellite in space, the emitted radiation diverting the missile attack from the satellite onto the decoy.

2. The countermeasure system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of quantum dots emit in approximately a same wavelength range as the satellite.

3. The countermeasure system of claim 1, wherein an intensity profile of the radiation emitted by the quantum dots is essentially the same as an intensity profile of the radiation signature of the satellite.

4. The countermeasure system of claim 1, wherein the quantum dots are selected from the group consisting of InSb, PbTe, HgTe, CdTe, CdSe, CdS, and PbSnTe.

5. The countermeasure of claim 1, wherein the quantum dots have a size between about 2 nm and about 80 nm.

6. The countermeasure system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of quantum dots comprise quantum dots of various sizes.

7. The countermeasure system of claim 6, wherein a wavelength of a peak radiation emitted by a quantum dot increases with an increasing size of the quantum dot.

8. The countermeasure system of claim 1, wherein a characteristic wavelength of the quantum dots is tunable by selecting a size of the quantum dots.

9. The countermeasure system of claim 1, wherein the quantum dots are excited by radiation having a shorter wavelength than a wavelength of radiation emitted by the quantum dots.

10. The countermeasure system of claim 1, wherein the excitation radiation includes solar radiation, laser radiation, radiation emitted from a chemical exothermic reaction, or radiation emitted from an incandescent source, or any combination of two or more thereof.

11. The countermeasure system of claim 1, wherein the quantum dots are dispersed to form a cloud of quantum dots from a pack of quantum dots either suspended in an inert gas or sprayed from a reservoir into open space, or both.

12. The countermeasure system of claim 1, wherein the decoy further includes radar chaff.

13. The countermeasure system of claim 12, wherein the quantum dots are coated onto the radar chaff.

14. The countermeasure system of claim 1, wherein the quantum dots are carried by a guardian satellite in spatial co-orbit with the satellite.

15. The countermeasure system of claim 14, wherein the guardian satellite emits laser excitation radiation onto the quantum dots.

16. The countermeasure system of claim 1, wherein the quantum dots are dispersed to form a cloud within a field of view of a missile targeting the satellite.

17. A method of simulating a blackbody radiation signature of a satellite using quantum dots, the method comprising:

dispersing quantum dots to form a cloud of quantum dots; and

exciting the quantum dots with a first radiation so that the quantum dots emit a second radiation having a profile similar to the blackbody radiation signature profile of the satellite.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the dispersing comprises dispersing the quantum dots within a field of view of a missile targeting the satellite.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the exciting comprises exciting the quantum dots with solar radiation.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the exciting comprises exciting the quantum dots with an artificial source of radiation.

21. A countermeasure system for protecting an asset from a missile attack, the system comprising:

a decoy comprising a plurality of quantum dots,

wherein the plurality of quantum dots comprise quantum dots of various sizes and quantum dots of different types of materials and the plurality of quantum dots are provided in selected ratios of different sizes of quantum dots and selected ratios of different types of materials, so that the plurality of quantum dots emit radiation having a radiation emission profile similar to a profile of a radiation signature of the satellite.