Enhancement of penetration of electromagnetic waves by field focusing applied to GPR detection

Abstract

Abstract Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is limited by challenges such as signal attenuation and inadequate target detection in lossy dielectrics, prompting research on data processing algorithms to enhance detection capability. In this study, we propose a method for enhancing GPR detection capability based on electromagnetic field focusing (FF). The method involves calculating the phase difference attributable to the range difference between each antenna element and the focal point and compensating its feed phase accordingly. This approach effectively concentrates the energy of electromagnetic waves at the target area. Tapered slot antennas operating within the 2.5–8 GHz frequency band were employed for transmitting and receiving, thus facilitating algorithm verification and target detection. The synthetic aperture radar algorithm executed pulse compression and range migration on the received data, thereby intensifying the signal at the target object’s position and achieving double focusing. Notably, this study uniquely employs FF to enhance the penetrability of electromagnetic waves and augment the detection capability of GPR. Both simulation and experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method in improving the GPR imaging quality.