Microwave Holography Research Articles

Adjustment Method of Main Reflector for a Large Radio Telescope

The performance of the antennas, which plays an important role in millimeter-wave astronomy and space communication, is often limited by their reflector surface accuracy. Microwave holography is a fast and effective technique for measuring the surface profile of reflector antenna. In this paper, the antenna aperture phase profile is obtained by microwave holography to estimate the deviation between the reflector of the Tianma 65 m radio telescope and the ideal paraboloid. The panels of the Tianma 65 m radio telescope is in radial pattern with 14 rings. Each corner of the panel is fixed on the screw of the actuator to move up and down, and the adjacent corners of the four panels share an actuator. We use the method of plane fitting to calculate the adjustment value of every panels corner. But one actuator, which simultaneously controls the common corner of the adjacent panels, will have different adjustment values according to the plane fitting equation based on adjacent panels. In this paper, an adjustment value at the corner of the adjacent panel is obtained by plane fitting and adjustment calculation method with the antenna illumination function as the weight, that is, the optimal adjustment value of 1104 actuators of the Tianma 65 m radio telescope. Through many adjustments and the application of new algorithms, the surface accuracy of the reflector of the Tianma 65 m radio telescope has gradually improved to the current 0.24 mm.

Reflector Deformation Measurement and Correction Methodology of Large Antenna Based on Phased Array Feed

To solve the problem of time-consuming measurement and correction of large antennas’ reflector deformation, a new microwave holography methodology based on a Phased Array Feed (PAF) is proposed. Starting from the known expression of receiving signals in microwave holography, the theory of PAF holography is derived through Geometrical Optics. Reflector deformation, as well as pointing deviation and subreflector offset, can be calculated out by applying the derived equations. A measurement and correction system based on PAF holography is depicted, and two kinds of measurement methods are illustrated. The proposed measurement methodology is verified by numerical simulation, and its measurement error is analyzed. The results indicate that our proposed methodology is feasible, especially for Cassegrain antennas.

Improving the Accuracy of Range Migration in 3-D Near-Field Microwave Imaging

Calibration measurements play a crucial role in improving the accuracy of both qualitative and quantitative microwave imaging. Ideally, in 3-D near-field imaging, a calibration measurement should be performed at each desired range (or depth) position, which can be very time-consuming. An analytical prediction of the range behavior of the resolvent kernel of scattering can reduce the calibration effort to a single measurement at a reference range position. Range-translation (or range-migration) analytical expressions are already widely used in far-zone radar and acoustic imaging; however, their accuracy deteriorates significantly in near-field scenarios. Here, we propose a range-migration technique for near-field microwave imaging with monostatic and bistatic measurement configurations. From a single measurement of the system point-spread function (PSF), the PSF magnitude and phase are accurately predicted at any desired range position. The proposed migration is performed in real space; however, it can also be applied with Fourier-domain (or <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$</tex-math> </inline-formula> -space) inversion methods. Here, it is applied with quantitative microwave holography in simulation-based and experimental examples, which validate its performance and illustrate its limitations.

Microwave Holography for EMI Source Imaging

Microwave Holography for EMI Source Imaging

Holographic Microwave Image Classification Using a Convolutional Neural Network.

Holographic microwave imaging (HMI) has been proposed for early breast cancer diagnosis. Automatically classifying benign and malignant tumors in microwave images is challenging. Convolutional neural networks (CNN) have demonstrated excellent image classification and tumor detection performance. This study investigates the feasibility of using the CNN architecture to identify and classify HMI images. A modified AlexNet with transfer learning was investigated to automatically identify, classify, and quantify four and five different HMI breast images. Various pre-trained networks, including ResNet18, GoogLeNet, ResNet101, VGG19, ResNet50, DenseNet201, SqueezeNet, Inception v3, AlexNet, and Inception-ResNet-v2, were investigated to evaluate the proposed network. The proposed network achieved high classification accuracy using small training datasets (966 images) and fast training times.

An Example of Microwave Holography Investigation of an Old Orthodox Russian Icon Dated to 19th Century

The study, preservation and restoration of the cultural heritage objects of mankind are not only of great cultural importance but also have a significant economic component because cultural values of past centuries attract tourists from all over the world. The use of modern technical and scientific achievements in the field of non-destructive testing makes it possible to obtain new knowledge about cultural objects regarding their origin and dating, as well as to contribute to their better restoration and preservation. An important component of their use is additional opportunities to identify high quality fakes of original cultural objects that have historical significance. The capabilities of various non-destructive testing (NDT) methods used to examine cultural objects are characterized by their penetration depth, resolution, and sensitivity to material properties. Thus, in many cases, it is necessary to perform multi-sensor non-destructive testing and creating large data sets that require an efficient evaluation. This article considers an example of using microwave (MW) holographic sensors for the examining of an old Orthodox Russian Icon dated of the late 19th century. The paper describes the technology of microwave holography, which has recently been applied to the examination of art works. Unlike the well-studied X-ray method, MW holography makes it possible to examine objects with one-sided access. Its other advantages are the relative cheapness of the equipment and the safety of use due to the low level of radiation. The article describes a MW holograms reconstruction algorithm, as well as a method for improving the quality of obtained MW images. The data collected at MW research of the Icon are compared with the results of X-ray examination and confirmed by subsequent opening and visual examination performed by professional restorers.

Accurate Range Migration for Fast Quantitative Fourier-Based Image Reconstruction With Monostatic Radar

Range migration (or range focusing) techniques are widely used in optical, acoustic, and microwave real-time image reconstruction methods. They have been successfully applied to far-field 3-D imaging where they rely on plane-wave assumptions, which ignore the data amplitude variation over the acquisition aperture. The accuracy of the plane-wave assumption, however, quickly degrades in close-range imaging, where amplitude variations are significant and where the range to the target is on the order of the range sampling step. Here, we present a range-focusing method of improved accuracy, which is applicable to both far-zone and close-range monostatic radar. It refocuses the system point-spread function (PSF) to any range location, taking into account both magnitude and phase changes. The approach can be applied with any Fourier-based imaging algorithm utilizing the Lippmann–Schwinger equation as the underlying scattering model. Here, it is validated through examples based on simulated and measured data where the images are reconstructed with quantitative microwave holography (QMH). QMH employs measured PSFs to achieve quantitative imaging in real-time. The proposed range-migration method is applicable with measured PSFs, too, leading to reduced system-calibration effort and the ability to focus an image at any desired range.

A Wideband Microwave Holography Methodology for Reflector Surface Measurement of Large Radio Telescopes

Most reflector surface holographic measurements of a large radio telescope utilize a geostationary satellite as the signal source. The shortcoming is that those measurements could only be done at a limited elevation angle due to the satellite’s relatively stationary state. This paper proposed a new wideband microwave holographic measurement method based on radio sources to achieve full-elevation-angle measurement with small size reference antenna. In theoretical derivation, the time delay and phase change due to path length and device difference between the antenna under test and reference antenna are compensated first. Then the correct method of wideband holography effect, which is because of antenna pattern differing under different wavelengths when receiving a wideband signal, is presented. To verify the proposed methodology, a wideband microwave holographic measurement system is established, the data processing procedure is illustrated, and the reflector surface measurement experiments on a 40 m radio telescope at different elevation angles are conducted. The result shows that the primary reflector surface root-mean-square at around elevation angles of 28°, 44°, 49°, and 75° are respectively 0.213 mm, 0.170 mm, 0.188 mm, and 0.199 mm. It is basically consistent with the real data, indicating that the proposed wideband microwave holography methodology is feasible.

Quantitative Defect Size Evaluation in Fluid-Carrying Nonmetallic Pipes

There is a rapid trend in various industries to replace the metallic pipes by nonmetallic ones. This is due to the certain properties, such as high strength, lightweight, resilience to corrosion, and low cost of maintenance for nonmetallic pipes. Despite the abovementioned advantages, nonmetallic pipes are still affected by issues, such as erosion, defects, damages, cracks, holes, delamination, and changes in the thickness. These issues are typically caused due to the manufacturing process, type of carried fluid composition, and flow rate. If not examined well, these issues could lead to disastrous failures caused by leakages and bursting of the pipes. To prevent such major failures, it is extremely important to test the pipes periodically for an accurate estimation of their thickness profile. In this article, we propose a nondestructive testing (NDT) technique, based on near-field microwave holography, for identifying the fluid carried by a nonmetallic pipe and estimating the pipe’s thickness profile. Identifying the carried fluid helps improve the thickness profile estimation. The performance of the proposed techniques will be demonstrated via simulations and experiments.

Trial of Deep Learning for Image Reconstruction of Lens-Less Microwave Holography

Trial of Deep Learning for Image Reconstruction of Lens-Less Microwave Holography

COMPUTER MODEL OF HOLOGRAM SYNTHESIS BY THE REAL PHASE

Computer-synthesized holograms are widely used in areas such as optical information processing, image recognition, three-dimensional display of digital data, and modelling of holographic processes. It is difficult to overestimate the usefulness of the use of synthesized holograms for image reconstruction in acoustic and microwave holography. The use of synthesized holograms as elements of holographic storage devices is promising. Computer synthesis is often the only way to obtain holograms with desired properties. The main advantage of the synthesized hologram is that it is an effective means for converting digital information into optical. Due to this, it is possible to create hybrid-computing systems that are unique in performance, including digital electronic and optical processors and combining the flexibility and versatility of an electronic computer with the enormous performance inherent in an optical processor due to the parallelism of optical information processing. The use of digital holograms as elements in holographic storage devices is promising.

Real-Time Imaging With Simultaneous Use of Born and Rytov Approximations in Quantitative Microwave Holography

Microwave and millimeter-wave measurements acquire total-field responses from measurements, yet imaging algorithms instead require the data in the form of scattered-field responses. Two approaches exist for the extraction of the scattered-field data from the total-field responses, namely, the Born and the Rytov data approximations. It is well known that, depending on the target’s size, contrast, and structural complexity, one approximation can achieve an improved accuracy over the other. Yet, the Rytov approximation is rarely used in microwave and millimeter-wave imaging, likely due to phase-unwrapping problems occurring in the case of strongly heterogeneous electrically large targets. Here, we propose a method to utilize the Born and the Rytov approximations simultaneously in a single inversion step for real-time imaging with quantitative microwave holography (QMH). We show through examples with simulated and experimental data that in near-field imaging scenarios, including the imaging of a breast-tissue phantom, there are significant benefits in employing the new method.

Comparison of Back-Scattering and Forward-Scattering Methods in Short Range Microwave Imaging Systems

Microwave imaging technique allows obtaining images of hidden objects in structures and media using microwaves. Usually in short-range microwave imaging systems, the back-scattered signal is used, when a combined transmit-receive antenna scans over a plane, forming a two-dimensional synthesized aperture, while the signal reflected from the object of observation is recorded, as a result of which a microwave hologram of the object is formed. The second option involves registering the forward-scattered signal, when the transmitting and receiving antennas are located on opposite sides of the object and scan synchronously. The purpose of this work is a theoretical and experimental comparison of these two sounding options, identifying the advantages and disadvantages of each option, taking into account the features that arise when solving various problems of microwave imaging. Keywords: microwave holography, mivrowave image, back-scattered signal, forward-scattered signal, range resolution.

Fast, Robust, and Low-Cost Microwave Imaging of Multiple Non-Metallic Pipes

The use of non-metallic pipes and composite components that are low-cost, durable, light-weight, and resilient to corrosion is growing rapidly in various industrial sectors such as oil and gas industries in the form of non-metallic composite pipes. While these components are still prone to damages, traditional non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques such as eddy current technique and magnetic flux leakage technique cannot be utilized for inspection of these components. Microwave imaging can fill this gap as a favorable technique to perform inspection of non-metallic pipes. Holographic microwave imaging techniques are fast and robust and have been successfully employed in applications such as airport security screening and underground imaging. Here, we extend the use of holographic microwave imaging to inspection of multiple concentric pipes. To increase the speed of data acquisition, we utilize antenna arrays along the azimuthal direction in a cylindrical setup. A parametric study and demonstration of the performance of the proposed imaging system will be provided.

Miniaturized microstrip circuit board using off-the-shelf components for microwave holography

Microwave holographic imaging is a swift and versatile technique that is optimized for near-field applications, such as biomedical imaging and metallic imaging. Although the holographic setup is efficient, the use of waveguides makes the setup bulky. In this work, a miniaturized holographic configuration on a microstrip circuit board is proposed. The circuit board comprises a directional coupler, a power combiner, a tunable phase shifter and a hybrid ring. Here, the phase shifter is electronically tunable by up to 360° in the frequency range from 9.6 to 10.3 GHz. Therefore, N-step phase shifting holography and interferometry can be combined for better phase accuracy. In addition, to make the system economic and portable, off-the-shelf components are embedded in a single chip. Simulation and measurement results are presented to validate the performance of the proposed circuit board.

Effect of Eccentricity in Microwave Imaging of Multiple Composite Pipes

The use of non-metallic composites that are durable, low cost, and lightweight is growing fast in various industries. A commonly used form of these materials is in the shape of pipes that can be used, for instance, in oil and gas industry. Such pipes can be damaged due to material loss (defects and holes), erosions, and more which may cause major production failures or environmental mishaps. To prevent these issues, non-destructive testing (NDT) methods need to be employed for regular inspections of such components. Since traditional NDT methods are mainly used for metallic pipes, recently microwave imaging has been proposed as a promising approach for examination of non-metallic pipes. While microwave imaging can be employed for inspection of multiple layers of pipes, the effect of undesired eccentricity of the pipes can impose additional imaging errors. In this paper, for the first time, we study the effect of eccentricity of the pipes on the images reconstructed using near-field holographic microwave imaging when imaging double pipes.

Three-Dimensional Electromagnetic Field Calculation for Microwave Holography

Three-Dimensional Electromagnetic Field Calculation for Microwave Holography

Research on the panel adjustment method of an active main reflector for a large radio telescope

The surface accuracy of a large parabolic antenna is an important indicator to evaluate the quality of the antenna. It not only directly affects the antenna’s aperture efficiency, thereby determining the shortest wavelength that the antenna can work, but also affects the main lobe width and side lobe structure of the antenna pattern. Microwave holography is an important method for parabolic antenna profile detection. In this article we adopt a new algorithm to adjust the panels for the large radio telescope with an active main reflector through the TM65 m antenna’s aperture phase profile. The panels of the TM65 m radio telescope is in a radial pattern with 14 rings. Each corner of the panel is fixed on the screw of the actuator to move up and down, and the adjacent corners of the four panels share an actuator. We use the method of plane fitting to calculate the adjustment value of every panel’s corner. But one actuator, which simultaneously controls the common corner of the adjacent panels, will have different adjustment values according to the different plane fitting equation based on adjacent panels. In this paper, the adjustment value of the adjacent panels’crosspoints are constrained to be equal to the constraint condition to calculate each actuator’s adjustment value of the TM65 m radio telescope. Through multiple adjustments and application of the new algorithms, the accuracy of the TM65 m antenna reflector profile has been improved from the original 0.28 mm to the current 0.19 mm.

Numerical four phase shifting microwave holography with phase step error analysis

Microwave holography utilizes an antenna to record the hologram. In a phase shifting microwave holographic method, the antenna has to perform the 2D scanning over an area corresponding to each phase shift in reference wave. Since this methodology requires phase shifting in each scan, this makes the process lengthy and laborious. In this work, a numerical 4-step phase shifting method is presented for generating the microwave hologram, in which a single (0° phase) hologram is recorded experimentally and the other three holograms are generated numerically by shifting the phase in reference wave. The amplitude and phase information of object is extracted using angular spectrum diffraction method. An error introduced by various components in experiments is calculated and corrected to enhance the accuracy of reconstructed phase values. The calculated phase step error for the experiment is 0.0501 rad. The quantitative and qualitative results along with the experimental phase shifting phase results are shown to envision the applications of numerical phase shifting microwave holography in imaging of metallic objects and highly scattered biological phantom.

Holographic Near-Field Microwave Imaging With Antenna Arrays in a Cylindrical Setup

Holographic microwave imaging is fast and robust and it has been adapted for near-field applications such as biomedical imaging and nondestructive testing. While the imaging technique is fast, synthesizing a 2-D aperture by mechanical scanning of the antennas takes time. Here, antenna arrays are used to expedite data acquisition along the azimuthal direction in a cylindrical holographic near-field microwave imaging setup. To deal with the limited and nonuniform samples along the azimuthal direction, three holographic imaging approaches are evaluated, in which, we use interpolation, uniform or nonuniform discrete Fourier transform (DFT), standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA), and exact low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (eLORETA). Besides, to make the system low-cost and portable, off-the-shelf components are used to construct a data acquisition system replacing the vector network analyzers. Simulation and experimental studies are conducted to validate the performance of the proposed imaging system. Structural similarity (SSIM) index is used to assess the quality of the reconstructed images.