Recent Advances in the Use of Sub-Millimetric Wave Techniques to Obtain Backscatter Information at the UK National Scale Modelling Centre

Systems at sub-millimetric wavelengths used for obtaining detailed radar backscatter information on scale model targets are discussed. A full illumination 890 GHz amplitude and phase measuring system and a new spot scanning radar which provides complementary information are described. The innovative development of polarization transformation techniques which provide data at all desired radar polarization combinations, and the consequent development of a full scattering-matrix system, are presented. The extension of these methods to other submillimetric wavelengths obtained from optically pumped laser sources is also discussed.