Remote-sensing of underground caverns using a full-Maxwell's equations FDTD model

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.

Name thesis:degree_name

Electrical Engineering

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Year

2010

Author dc:creator

• Ethan, Tanner

Contributors dc:contributor

• Simpson, Jamesina
• Schamiloglu, Edl
• Atwood, Tom

• Caves--Remote sensing--Data processing
• Maxwell equations--Numerical solutions
• Finite differences
• Time-domain analysis.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/ece_etds/83

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalrepository.unm.edu:ece_etds-1082