NATO SPS Project

Mines and unexploded ordnance pose a serious hazard to the population as a long-term consequence of military conflicts. With vast affected areas, safe, reliable, fast detection methods of small underground objects are needed. One proposed solution is radar detection. However, very high-resolution and sensitive devices are required. The promising but underdeveloped idea to improve these parameters, especially well-suited for very short-range radar devices, is using Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) mode electromagnetic waves. OAM-based radar uses twisted beams simultaneously carrying different OAM modes to illuminate targets, which can improve sensitivity and resolution but also allows the capturing of the azimuthal position of the targets without any relative moves of the antenna or beam scanning, which can simplify the construction of the device. This project aims to develop antenna systems capable of generating OAM waves suitable for ground-penetrating radar applications as well as measurement systems to evaluate their performance. These devices will allow further research and development toward high-performance contactless detection equipment.