Novel wide bandwidth dielectric rod antenna for detecting antipersonnel mines

An ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB) dielectric rod antenna modified from its previous version developed by Chen is presented. Linearly-polarized broad bandwidth electromagnetic energy is launched into a dielectric waveguide (rod) and guided until it reaches the rod tip where it radiates into the free space. The radiated fields are linearly polarized and have spherical wavefronts. By placing the tip close to the ground, it can be used to detect shallowly buried objects from backscattering measurements. This paper describes briefly the operational principles of the rod antenna as well as some measurement examples.