Antenna's Performance in Microwave Imaging of Stratified Media
Adel Omrani, Sajjad Sadeghi
TL;DR
The paper analyzes how antenna characteristics influence microwave imaging of stratified media using a diffraction tomography framework with monostatic and multistatic data. It compares horn, open waveguide, and Vivaldi antennas in X-band (8-12 GHz) and examines both far-field and near-field behaviors to explain reconstruction quality. Key findings show that more directional antennas yield better images with less shadowing, but sufficient multistatic configurations are required to mitigate aliasing; near-field patterns and spectral content can also drive artifacts, especially at higher frequencies. The work provides guidance on antenna selection and array design to improve GPR/TWRI imaging performance in stratified media.
Abstract
Numerous types of antennas have been employed for microwave imaging of stratified media for ground penetrating radar (GPR), through-the-wall-radar imaging (TWRI), etc. This letter aims to investigate the impact of the different antennas with their characteristics on the image reconstruction of those media. Hence, three types of antennas, including horn antennas, open waveguide and Vivaldi antennas, are chosen as almost directional antennas, operating at X-band 8-12 GHz. The antenna's far-field and near-field characteristics are analyzed. A diffraction tomography (DT)-based algorithm is used to reconstruct the target location within the stratified media using monostatic and multistatic data. It is observed that the more directional antennas provide a better-reconstructed image with less shadowing image of the stratified media.