Attenuation and group delay effects on millimeter wave (MMW) propagation in clouds and fog are studied theoretically and verified experimentally using high resolution radar in an indoor space filled with artificial fog. In the theoretical analysis, the frequency-dependent attenuation and group delay were derived via the permittivity of the medium. The results are applied to modify the millimeter-wave propagation model (MPM) and employed to study the effect of fog and cloud on the accuracy of the Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) radar operating in millimeter wavelengths. Artificial fog was generated in the experimental study to demonstrate ultra-low visibility in a confined space. The resulted attenuation and group delay were measured using FMCW radar operating at 320–330 GHz. It was found that apart from the attenuation, the incremental group delay caused by the fog also played a role in the accuracy of the radar. The results were compared to the analytical model. It was shown that although the artificial fog has slight different characteristics compare to the natural fog and clouds, in particle composition, size, and density, the model predictions were good, pointing out that the dispersive effects should be considered in the design of remote sensing radars operating in millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelengths.

Article MODELING OF FLASHING TWO-PHASE FLOW was published on August 1, 2005 in the journal Reviews in Chemical Engineering (volume 21, issue 3-4).

The propagation of millimeter (MMW) and submillimeter (terahertz, THz) waves in the atmosphere is subject to absorptive and dispersive effects. The resulting attenuation and temporal group delay increase in cloudy and hazy weather. In this work, the effects of water droplets suspended in the air on the propagation of electromagnetic radiation in submillimeter waves are studied theoretically and experimentally. A comparison is made between the link budget in THz frequencies and the expected attenuation for free space optics (FSO) links. Using the modified millimeter-wave propagation model, the frequency-dependent attenuation and group delay are expressed in terms of the complex refractivity of the atmospheric medium. The theory is employed to study the effect of fog and clouds on the accuracy of a frequency-modulated continuous-wave high-resolution radar operating at 330 GHz. In an experiment, the propagation of MMW was studied in a controlled fog chamber for various ranges of visibility, even below 1 m. The resulting attenuation and group delay of submillimeter waves were measured, while the properties of fog (optical visibility distance and water content) were monitored using FSO techniques. Apart from attenuation, the incremental group delay caused by fog also affected the accuracy of the radar. The experimental results were compared with those of an analytical model and were in good agreement even for very low visibility in very foggy conditions. Dispersive effects should be considered in the design of remote sensing radars operating in the MMW and THz regimes.

The wide band at extremely high frequencies (EHF) above 30 GHz is applicable for high resolution directive radars, resolving the lack of free frequency bands within the lower part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Utilization of ultra-wideband signals in this EHF band is of interest, since it covers a relatively large spectrum, which is free of users, resulting in better resolution in both the longitudinal and transverse dimensions. Noting that frequencies in the millimeter band are subjected to high atmospheric attenuation and dispersion effects, a study of the degradation in the accuracy and resolution is presented. The fact that solid-state millimeter and sub-millimeter radiation sources are producing low power, the method of continuous-wave wideband frequency modulation becomes the natural technique for remote sensing and detection. Millimeter wave radars are used as complementary sensors for the detection of small radar cross-section objects under bad weather conditions, when small objects cannot be seen by optical cameras and infrared detectors. Theoretical analysis for the propagation of a wide “chirped” Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) radar signal in a dielectric medium is presented. It is shown that the frequency-dependent (complex) refractivity of the atmospheric medium causes distortions in the phase of the reflected signal, introducing noticeable errors in the longitudinal distance estimations, and at some frequencies may also degrade the resolution.