{"id":{"repo_id":"unm","oai_identifier":"oai:digitalrepository.unm.edu:ece_etds-1082"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/unm/oai:digitalrepository.unm.edu:ece_etds-1082","repository":{"repo_id":"unm","name":"University of New Mexico","base_url":"https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Remote-sensing of underground caverns using a full-Maxwell's equations FDTD model","abstract":"A need exists to reliably detect and characterize underground structures from immediately above the Earth's surface within the vicinity of the structures, as well as via aerial surveys. Sandia National Labs and the University of New Mexico have collaborated to study the feasibility of detecting and characterizing underground structures, specifically hollow rectangular-shaped caverns. This thesis covers the computational aspects of this investigation and also focuses on the detection of caverns from immediately above the Earth's surface. Three-dimensional, full-vector Maxwell's equations finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) modeling is employed to obtain the signatures for different caverns of various depths and dimensions. It is found that by removing the signature of the ground, the presence of an underground structure is detectable.","abstract_html":"A need exists to reliably detect and characterize underground structures from immediately above the Earth&#x27;s surface within the vicinity of the structures, as well as via aerial surveys. Sandia National Labs and the University of New Mexico have collaborated to study the feasibility of detecting and characterizing underground structures, specifically hollow rectangular-shaped caverns. This thesis covers the computational aspects of this investigation and also focuses on the detection of caverns from immediately above the Earth&#x27;s surface. Three-dimensional, full-vector Maxwell&#x27;s equations finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) modeling is employed to obtain the signatures for different caverns of various depths and dimensions. It is found that by removing the signature of the ground, the presence of an underground structure is detectable.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Ethan, Tanner"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Electrical Engineering","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Electrical and Computer Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Simpson, Jamesina","Schamiloglu, Edl","Atwood, Tom"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2010,"date_issued":"2010-06-25T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2010-06-25T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:27:19Z","subjects":["Caves--Remote sensing--Data processing","Maxwell equations--Numerical solutions","Finite differences","Time-domain analysis."],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/ece_etds/83","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Simpson, Jamesina","Schamiloglu, Edl","Atwood, Tom"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Ethan, Tanner"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Electrical and Computer Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis","Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Electrical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Caves--Remote sensing--Data processing","Maxwell equations--Numerical solutions","Finite differences","Time-domain analysis."]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/ece_etds/83"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["A need exists to reliably detect and characterize underground structures from immediately above the Earth's surface within the vicinity of the structures, as well as via aerial surveys. Sandia National Labs and the University of New Mexico have collaborated to study the feasibility of detecting and characterizing underground structures, specifically hollow rectangular-shaped caverns. This thesis covers the computational aspects of this investigation and also focuses on the detection of caverns from immediately above the Earth's surface. Three-dimensional, full-vector Maxwell's equations finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) modeling is employed to obtain the signatures for different caverns of various depths and dimensions. It is found that by removing the signature of the ground, the presence of an underground structure is detectable."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Remote-sensing of underground caverns using a full-Maxwell's equations FDTD model"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Simpson, Jamesina","Schamiloglu, Edl","Atwood, Tom"],"dc:creator":["Ethan, Tanner"],"dc:description.abstract":["A need exists to reliably detect and characterize underground structures from immediately above the Earth's surface within the vicinity of the structures, as well as via aerial surveys. Sandia National Labs and the University of New Mexico have collaborated to study the feasibility of detecting and characterizing underground structures, specifically hollow rectangular-shaped caverns. This thesis covers the computational aspects of this investigation and also focuses on the detection of caverns from immediately above the Earth's surface. Three-dimensional, full-vector Maxwell's equations finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) modeling is employed to obtain the signatures for different caverns of various depths and dimensions. It is found that by removing the signature of the ground, the presence of an underground structure is detectable."],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/ece_etds/83"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:subject":["Caves--Remote sensing--Data processing","Maxwell equations--Numerical solutions","Finite differences","Time-domain analysis."],"dc:title":["Remote-sensing of underground caverns using a full-Maxwell's equations FDTD model"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Electrical and Computer Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis","Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Electrical Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:27:19Z"}