We demonstrate a low-profile holographic imaging system at millimeter wavelengths based on an aperture composed of frequency-diverse metasurfaces. Utilizing measurements of spatially-diverse field patterns, diffraction-limited images of human-sized subjects are reconstructed. The system is driven by a single microwave source swept over a band of frequencies (17.5–26.5 GHz) and switched between a collection of transmit and receive metasurface panels. High fidelity image reconstruction requires a precise model for each field pattern generated by the aperture, as well as the manner in which the field scatters from objects in the scene. This constraint makes scaling of computational imaging systems inherently challenging for electrically large, coherent apertures. To meet the demanding requirements, we introduce computational methods and calibration approaches that enable rapid and accurate imaging performance.

International audienceWe present a 3D computational imaging system based on a mode-mixing cavity at microwavefrequencies. The core component of this system is an electrically large rectangular cavity with onecorner re-shaped to catalyze mode mixing, often called a Sinai Billiard. The front side of the cavityis perforated with a grid of periodic apertures that sample the cavity modes and project them intothe imaging scene. The radiated fields are scattered by the scene and are measured by low gainprobe antennas. The complex radiation patterns generated by the cavity thus encode the scene informationonto a set of frequency modes. Assuming the first Born approximation for scatteringdynamics, the received signal is processed using computational methods to reconstruct a 3D imageof the scene with resolution determined by the diffraction limit. The proposed mode-mixing cavityis simple to fabricate, exhibits low losses, and can generate highly diverse measurement modes.The imaging system demonstrated in this letter can find application in security screening and medicaldiagnostic imaging

We present a dynamic metamaterial aperture for use in computational imaging schemes at microwave frequencies. The aperture consists of an array of complementary, resonant metamaterial elements patterned into the upper conductor of a microstrip line. Each metamaterial element contains two diodes connected to an external control circuit such that the resonance of the metamaterial element can be damped by application of a bias voltage. Through applying different voltages to the control circuit, select subsets of the elements can be switched on to create unique radiation patterns that illuminate the scene. Spatial information of an imaging domain can thus be encoded onto this set of radiation patterns, or measurements, which can be processed to reconstruct the targets in the scene using compressive sensing algorithms. We discuss the design and operation of a metamaterial imaging system and demonstrate reconstructed images with a 10:1 compression ratio. Dynamic metamaterial apertures can potentially be of benefit in microwave or millimeter wave systems such as those used in security screening and through-wall imaging. In addition, feature-specific or adaptive imaging can be facilitated through the use of the dynamic aperture.

Abstract-The resolution of a frequency diverse compressive metamaterial aperture imager is investigated. The aperture consists of a parallel plate waveguide, in which an array of complementary, resonant metamaterial elements is patterned into one of the plates. Microwaves injected into the waveguide leak out through the resonant metamaterial elements, forming a spatially diverse waveform at the scene. As the frequency is scanned, the waveforms change, such that scene information can be encoded onto a set of frequency measurements. The compressive nature of the metamaterial imager enables image reconstruction from a significantly reduced number of measurements. We characterize the resolution of this complex aperture by studying the simulated point spread function (PSF) computed using different image reconstruction techniques. We compare the imaging performance of the system with that expected from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) limits.

Recently, a frequency-diverse, metamaterial-based aperture has been introduced in the context of microwave and millimeter wave imaging. The generic form of the aperture is that of a parallel plate waveguide, in which complementary metamaterial elements patterned into the upper plate couple energy from the waveguide mode to the scene. To reliably predict the imaging performance of such an aperture prior to fabrication and experiments, it is necessary to have an accurate forward model that predicts radiation from the aperture, a model for scattering from an arbitrary target in the scene, and a set of image reconstruction approaches that allow scene estimation from an arbitrary set of measurements. Here, we introduce a forward model in which the metamaterial elements are approximated as polarizable magnetic dipoles, excited by the fields propagating within the waveguide. The dipoles used in the model can have arbitrarily assigned polarizability characteristics. Alternatively, fields measured from actual metamaterial samples can be decomposed into a set of effective dipole radiators, allowing the performance of actual samples to be quantitatively modeled and compared with simulated apertures. To confirm the validity of our model, we simulate measurements and scene reconstructions with a virtual multiaperture imaging system operating in the K-band spectrum (18-26.5 GHz) and compare its performance with an experimental system.

We demonstrate a microwave imaging system that combines advances in metamaterial aperture design with emerging computational imaging techniques. The flexibility inherent to guided-wave, complementary metamaterials enables the design of a planar antenna that illuminates a scene with dramatically varying radiation patterns as a function of frequency. As frequency is swept over the K-band (17.5-26.5 GHz), a sequence of pseudorandom radiation patterns interrogates a scene. Measurements of the return signal versus frequency are then acquired and the scene is reconstructed using computational imaging methods. The low-cost, frequency-diverse static aperture allows three-dimensional images to be formed without mechanical scanning or dynamic beam-forming elements. The metamaterial aperture is complementary to a variety of computational imaging schemes, and can be used in conjunction with other sensors to form a multifunctional imaging platform. We illustrate the potential of multisensor fusion by integrating an infrared structured-light and optical image sensor to accelerate the microwave scene reconstruction and to provide a simultaneous visualization of the scene.

Abstract:We propose a polarimetric microwave imaging technique that exploits recent advances in computational imaging. We utilize a frequency-diverse cavity-backed metasurface, allowing us to demonstrate high-resolution polarimetric imaging using a single transceiver and frequency sweep over the operational microwave bandwidth. The frequency-diverse metasurface imager greatly simplifies the system architecture compared with active arrays and other conventional microwave imaging approaches. We further develop the theoretical framework for computational polarimetric imaging and validate the approach experimentally using a multi-modal leaky cavity. The scalar approximation for the interaction between the radiated waves and the targetoften applied in microwave computational imaging schemes-is thus extended to retrieve the susceptibility tensors, and hence providing additional information about the targets. Computational polarimetry has relevance for existing systems in the field that extract polarimetric imagery, and particular for ground observation. A growing number of short-range microwave imaging applications can also notably benefit from computational polarimetry, particularly for imaging objects that are difficult to reconstruct when assuming scalar estimations.

No abstract