Detection of explosives by Terahertz synthetic aperture imaging—focusing and spectral classification

In the adaptation of Terahertz (THz) synthetic aperture imaging to stand-off screening of concealed weapons and explosives, the incoming THz wavefronts exhibit significant curvature that must be considered in the image reconstruction. Consequently, the imaging array must be focused at a specific distance to correct for the wavefront curvature. In addition to the focusing correction, detection of explosives requires spectral analysis of the reconstructed THz image. Kohonen self-organizing maps are shown to be promising tools for differentiating the spectral signature of C4 explosive from the reflection spectra of metal and semi-transparent barrier materials. To cite this article: A. Sinyukov et al., C. R. Physique 9 (2008).