ZEL TECHNOLOGIES LLC — Department of Defense STTR Phase II: Non-invasive, stealthy nature of passive remote sensing combined with its low cost make pa

Description

Non-invasive, stealthy nature of passive remote sensing combined with its low cost make passive techniques a promising supplement or replacement of traditional active remote sensing techniques. Coherent processing of diffuse wave fields has a proven potential for remote sensing of stationary environments. The proposed research extends noise interferometry to characterization of dynamic environments. We will develop"acoustic daylight"and"radio wave daylight"techniques for retrieval of information about targets and their surroundings from the ambient acoustic noise and the background radio waves; and determine which environmental parameters and types of targets can be effectively monitored through ambient noise interferometry. The interferometric approach will be extended to ambient acoustic noise in the ocean, infrasonic noise in the atmosphere, and to electromagnetic ambient noise in the atmosphere. Through optimization of the data acquisition geometry, frequency band, and data processing algorithms, we will improve accuracy of passive travel time measurements and sensitivity to weak, transient environmental perturbations. In case of positive results of Phase II efforts, specialized passive acoustic and/or HF or microwave electromagnetic sensors and systems will be designed during Phase III for passive remote sensing as well as detection and localization of silent targets in the ocean and atmosphere.