Design of tapered-slot antenna arrays for landmine detection

Two compact ultra-wideband antenna arrays built of tapered-slot antennas and intended for landmine surveys are described. In one array, the antennas are arranged in two parallel lines differing by the antenna polarizations. Polarimetric data collected by the array are important for the detection of lengthy objects buried in the ground. The antennas in the second array form a zigzag line with reduced spacing between adjacent transmitting/receiving antenna pairs. Such a dense array is useful to detect small buried targets like landmines. Some experimental examples for the both arrays are presented.