Coherence effects in passive centimetre- and millimetre-wave imaging for landmine detection

Coherent effects in passive centimetre and millimetre wave emission used to detect landmines is investigated. The work concentrates on the modelling of the radiation temperatures of buried metal and plastic plates. A two interface model, which uses the dielectric constants of the media, is used to predict the radiation temperatures. Conclusions are that the use of coherence effects may complement the standard passive radiometry techniques for the detection of buried metal and plastic. This technique could extend the useful bandwidth, over which a system may operate, by a factor of two to three beyond that of standard radiometry(1).