Analysis and Applications of Spoof Surface Plasmon for High Frequency Radar Systems

In this research proposal, a tunable spoof surface plasmon structure for high-frequency (3-30 MHz) radar systems will be proposed. Its effective medium model and the dispersion relation of the spoof surface plasmon mode will also be analyzed and developed. With the aid of adjusting the structure parameters, this tunable spoof surface plasmon structure could be applied to ground wave and sky wave radar systems. When this structure is integrated with the ground wave radar, it can be inserted between the radar antenna and coastal waters. Then, it can be considered as a transition region, which helps to covert antenna power into the ground wave. In this way, the sky-wave interference is reduced and the detection range of the ground wave radar is increased. On the other hand; when it is integrated with the sky wave radar, it can be used as an electromagnetic bandgap structure to suppress the ground wave excitation and enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of the sky wave radar system. An experiment will be designed and conducted to verify the proposed theory and simulation results. Besides, some practical engineering issues will be studied such as substrate selection, reliability and concealment of the structure in deployed environment, and so on. Finally, the potential applications in other microwave radar systems such as new guided-wave structures, filters, and leaky wave antennas will also be discussed.