Accurate knowledge of the centimeter- and millimeter-wavelength absorptivity of ammonia is necessary for the interpretation of the emission spectra of the jovian planets. The objective of this research has been to advance the understanding of the centimeter- and millimeter-wavelength opacity spectra of ammonia under jovian conditions using a combination of laboratory measurements and theoretical formulations. As part of this research, over 1000 laboratory measurements of the 2-4 mm-wavelength properties of ammonia under simulated upper and middle tropospheric conditions of the jovian planets, and approximately 1200 laboratory measurements of the 5-20 cm-wavelength properties of ammonia under simulated deep tropospheric conditions of the jovian planets have been performed. Using these and pre-existing measurements, a consistent mathematical formalism has been developed to reconcile the centimeter- and millimeter-wavelength opacity spectra of ammonia. This formalism can be used to estimate the opacity of ammonia in a hydrogen/helium atmosphere in the centimeter-wavelength range at pressures up to 100 bar and temperatures in the 200 to 500 K range and in the millimeter-wavelength range at pressures up to 3 bar and temperatures in the 200 to 300 K range. In addition, a preliminary investigation of the influence of water vapor on the centimeter-wavelength ammonia absorptivity spectra has been conducted. This work addresses the areas of high-sensitivity centimeter- and millimeter-wavelength laboratory measurements, and planetary science, and contributes to the body of knowledge that provides clues into the origin of our solar system. The laboratory measurements and the model developed as part of this doctoral research work can be used for interpreting the emission spectra of jovian atmospheres obtained from ground-based and spacecraft-based observations. The results of the high-pressure ammonia opacity measurements will also be used to support the interpretation of the microwave radiometer (MWR) measurements on board the NASA Juno spacecraft at Jupiter.

In the last decade, microwave and millimeter-wave systems have gained importance in civil and security applications. Due to an increasing maturity and availability of circuits and components, these systems are getting more compact while being less expensive. Furthermore, quantitative imaging has been conducted at lower frequencies using computational intensive inverse problem algorithms. Due to the ill-posed character of the inverse problem, these algorithms are, in general, very sensitive to noise: the key to their successful application to experimental data is the precision of the measurement system. Only a few research teams investigate systems for imaging in the W-band. In this manuscript such a system is presented, designed to provide scattered field data to quantitative reconstruction algorithms. This manuscript is divided into six chapters. Chapter 2 describes the theory to compute numerically the scattered fields of known objects. In Chapter 3, the W-band measurement setup in the anechoic chamber is shown. Preliminary measurement results are analyzed. Relying on the measurement results, the error sources are studied and corrected by post-processing. The final results are used for the qualitative reconstruction of all three targets of interest and to image quantitatively the small cylinder. The reconstructed images are compared in detail in Chapter 4. Close range imaging has been investigated using a vector analyzer and a radar system. This is described in Chapter 5, based on a future application, which is the detection of FOD on airport runways. The conclusion is addressed in Chapter 6 and some future investigations are discussed.

Les radars millimétriques en bande W (75-110 GHz) sont en plein essor, grâce notamment aux progrès des circuits intégrés, permettant de réaliser des systèmes compacts à bas coût et haute résolution due à la courte longueur d’onde. Dans un premier temps, ces systèmes ont été utilisés à des fins de détection et de localisation, avec à terme, pour objectif l’identification. Ainsi, des systèmes d’imagerie radar ont été développés, notamment grâce à l’imagerie qualitative, basée par exemple sur l’imagerie radar par synthèse d’ouverture (SAR). Cependant, afin de reconstruire les propriétés électromagnétiques des objets pour une identification complète, il est nécessaire de développer des algorithmes de reconstruction quantitatifs. Le travail présenté dans ce manuscrit est de poser les bases d’un système d’imagerie qualitative et quantitative en gamme millimétrique pour la détection et l’identification des objets sur les pistes d’aéroport par tomographie, tenant compte de la polarisation de l’onde incidente. Au cours de cette thèse, un outil de simulation permettant de la résolution des problèmes direct et inverse, pour les deux types de polarisation à deux dimensions 2D-TE et 2D-TM, basé sur la méthode des moments (MoM) a été développé. La première étape a consisté en la validation du problème direct en effectuant des comparaisons numériques avec des solutions analytiques pour des cibles canoniques. Ensuite, des mesures expérimentales ont été effectuées et comparées aux résultats numériques. Enfin, les résultats des reconstructions obtenus ont permis de valider l’algorithme de reconstruction 2D développé pour l’imagerie quantitative. / Millimeter-wave radar systems in W-band (75-110 GHz) are booming, due to advances in integrated circuits, allowing the fabrication of low-cost and high-resolution compact systems, thanks to the short wavelength. First, these systems were used for detecting and localizing purposes, with the aim of identification. Thus, imaging radar systems have been developed, especially using qualitative imaging, based for example, on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). Nevertheless, in order to reconstruct the electromagnetic properties of objects, for a complete identification, we must develop quantitative reconstruction algorithms. The work presented in this manuscript is to give the basis of a qualitative and quantitative millimeter wave imaging system for detecting and identifying foreign debris on airport runways using tomography, taking into account the polarization of the incident wave. In this thesis, a simulation tool for solving forward and inverse problems, for the two-dimensional polarization cases 2D-TM and 2D-TE, based on the method of moments (MoM) has been developed. The first step was to study the validation of the direct problem by comparing numerical results with analytical solutions for canonical targets. Then, experimental measurements have ben carried out and compared with numerical results. Finally, reconstruction results obtained have validated the reconstruction algorithm developed for quantitative imaging.

The molecular compositions of the atmospheres of the giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) are fundamental to understanding the processes which formed these planets and the solar system as a whole. Microwave observations of these planets probe regions in their atmospheres from approximately 0.1 to several bars, a process otherwise unachievable by visible and infrared means. Many gases and various cloud layers influence the millimeter wave spectra of the outer planets; however phosphine and ammonia are the main microwave absorbers at Saturn at pressures less than two bars. Understanding the pressure induced absorption of both constituents at observational frequencies is therefore vital to the analysis of any observational data. Laboratory measurements have been conducted to measure the microwave absorptivity and refractivity of phosphine and ammonia at Ka-band (32-40 GHz) and W-band (94 GHz), under conditions characteristic of the atmosphere of Saturn. The results were used to verify the accuracy of the phosphine formalism created by Hoffman et. al (2001) for use at millimeter wavelengths. Based on the laboratory measurements conducted, new formalisms were also created to express the opacity of ammonia at the measured frequencies. An important method for the study of planetary atmospheres is the radio occultation experiment ??method that uses radio links between Earth, and the spacecraft which passes behind the planet. The Cassini mission to Saturn, which will be conducting such experiments at Ka-band as well as S (2.3 GHz) and X (8.4 GHz) bands, has prompted the development of a radio occultation simulator used to calculate excess Doppler shifts and attenuation profiles for Saturn, utilizing the newest formalisms for phosphine and ammonia. The results indicate that there will be unambiguous detection and profiling of phosphine and ammonia, and predictions are made for the pressures at which loss of signal is anticipated.

Durant la dernière décade, les radars millimétriques en bande W (75 - 110 GHz) pour les applications civiles que ce soit dans le domaine de l'aide à la conduite ou de la sécurité. La maturité de ces systèmes et les exigences accrues en termes d'application, orientent actuellement les recherches vers l'insertion de fonctions permettant l'identification. Ainsi, des systèmes d'imagerie radar ont été développés, notamment à l'aide d'imagerie qualitative (SAR). Les premiers résultats sont très prometteurs, cependant, afin de reconstruire les propriétés électromagnétiques des objets, il faut travailler de manière quantitative. De nombreux travaux ont déjà été conduits en ondes centimétriques, mais aucun système d'imagerie quantitative n'existe, à notre connaissance, en gamme millimétrique. L'objectif du travail présenté dans ce manuscrit est de poser les bases d'un système d'imagerie quantitative en gamme millimétrique et de le comparer à l'imagerie radar de systèmes développés en collaboration avec l'Université d'Ulm (Allemagne). L'ensemble des résultats obtenus valide le processus développé pour d'imagerie quantitative. Les recherches doivent être poursuivies. D'une part le système de mesure doit évoluer vers un vrai système multi-incidences/multivues. D'autre part, le cas 2D-TE doit être implémenté afin de pouvoir traiter un objet 2D quelconque dans n'importe quelle polarisation. Enfin, les mesures à partir de systèmes radar réels doivent être poursuivies, en particulier pour rendre exploitables les mesures des coefficients de transmission. Ces dernières sont indispensables si l'on veut un jour appliquer les algorithmes d'inversion à des mesures issues de systèmes radar. / In the last decade, microwave and millimeter-wave systems have gained importance in civil and security applications. Due to an increasing maturity and availability of circuits and components, these systems are getting more compact while being less expensive. Furthermore, quantitative imaging has been conducted at lower frequencies using computational intensive inverse problem algorithms. Due to the ill-posed character of the inverse problem, these algorithms are, in general, very sensitive to noise: the key to their successful application to experimental data is the precision of the measurement system. Only a few research teams investigate systems for imaging in the W-band. In this manuscript such a system is presented, designed to provide scattered field data to quantitative reconstruction algorithms. This manuscript is divided into six chapters. Chapter 2 describes the theory to compute numerically the scattered fields of known objects. In Chapter 3, the W-band measurement setup in the anechoic chamber is shown. Preliminary measurement results are analyzed. Relying on the measurement results, the error sources are studied and corrected by post-processing. The final results are used for the qualitative reconstruction of all three targets of interest and to image quantitatively the small cylinder. The reconstructed images are compared in detail in Chapter 4. Close range imaging has been investigated using a vector analyzer and a radar system. This is described in Chapter 5, based on a future application, which is the detection of FOD on airport runways. The conclusion is addressed in Chapter 6 and some future investigations are discussed.