Improving Situation Awareness through Near-Field EM Spectra Measurement and Far-Field Modeling and Visualization at WSMR
Abstract
White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) has multiple testing transmitters operating at varying frequencies and power to field-test electronic hardware under real-time conditions. Current measurement techniques, however, distort the electromagnetic (EM) fields within the near-field region. Human schedulers are required to ensure that tests do not conflict, but work from minimal information. Consequently, WSMR personnel are confronted with two main issues: an inability to acquire accurate measurements and difficulties for human operators in avoiding conflicts. The proposed research effort is therefore aimed at eliminating these two problems through the following goals and objectives: (A) developing a non-invasive EM field sensor; (B) developing EM propagation models to accurately predict the fields taking into consideration terrain topology and manmade objects within the coverage area of these transmitters; and (C) developing 3-D visualizations of the sensor- and model-predicted data to enable human scheduling of the range. The above goals will be addressed through: (i) developing an electro-optical (EO) interferometric sensor capable of detecting the EM field without modifying the field itself; (ii) mathematically and numerically quantifying the EM fields keeping in view scattering, reflections, refractions, and diffractions resulting from buildings, ground topology, soil conditions, hills, mountains, and other manmade structures; and (iii) creating a 3-D visual map of the antenna far-field patterns, managing changes over time, and leveraging the developed EM spectrum propagation models and retaining the human-in-the-loop, ultimately developing and testing versions of the geospatial visualization in virtual reality and an ambient visualization, potentially configured as a large display in the workspace. To address goal A, we propose to develop a non-invasive EO sensor that is based on the PockelÕs effect. When an optical beam propagates in a PockelÕs medium placed in a slowly varying electric field, its phase velocity undergoes a change due to the linear EO effect. The proposed EO sensor utilizes all-dielectric planar light-wave circuit components to measure the electric field distribution without disturbing the electric field significantly around the antenna. For goal B, the existing free-space propagation models will be augmented keeping in view the antenna locations, their heights, radiation patterns, soil conditions, soil roughness, and topology information of the Range. During this phase, models would also be compared with the ground-truth data at selected points. This information can be then fed to the 3-D visualization algorithm for display and scheduling purposes. To respond to goal C, an interactive map interface will be developed that shows both 3-D space and time to visualize one or more points in time for the user, and provide sufficient information for the user to understand the current state of the range. Key challenges will be visualizing coverage and interaction of EM spectra on the range, showing overlapping, but non-conflicting, EM spectra, and communicating this information to a human operator. The entire effort is divided into 13 tasks, moving through mathematical/numerical modeling, device fabrication and characterization, field-testing and aligning with the ground-truth data, and finally integrating all aspects of the proposed research. The proposed effort is to be completed in three years by personnel well-versed in EM propagation, antenna modeling, electro-optical fabrication and devices, game design and 3-D computerized visualization. Additionally, three graduate students will work on various aspects of the project, ultimately writing their thesis/dissertations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 04, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1710036
Entities
People
- Muhammad Dawood
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- New Mexico State University
- United States Army