Terahertz imaging for anti-personnel mine detection

The detection of buried anti-personnel mines has presented problems for current mine detection methods, such as ground penetrating radar. Terahertz (THz) radiation provides the ability to obtain higher resolution images as well as the ability to obtain spectroscopic information on the explosives in and around the buried mines. Propagation of THz in granular media is studied using techniques adapted from material science for foams and ceramics and adapted to sand and soil. We then give early results of 2-D reflection imaging of objects buried in sand. A terahertz time domain reflection system with a GaAs photoconductive emitter, a ZnTe electro-optic detector, and a rapid delay scanning mechanism was used to produce and collect the transmitted THz signal.