U.S. The Army built sensors with 100,000 times higher sensitivity – thermal imaging, electronic warfare, improves communication.

Better detection of microwave radiation will improve thermal imaging, electronic warfare, radio communication.

Research funded by the Army is developing a new microwave radiation sensor with 100,000 times more sensitivity than currently available commercial sensors. The researchers said that better detection of microwave radiation would enable improved thermal imaging, electronic warfare, radio communications and radar.

The researchers published their study in a peer-reviewed journal Nature. The team includes scientists from Harvard University, the Institute of Photonic Sciences, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for Technology, Pohang University for Science and Technology, and Raytheon BBN Technologies. The military, in part, paid for the construction of this bolometer by exploiting a huge thermal response. Graphene For microwave radiation.

“The microwave bolometer developed under this project is so sensitive that it is capable of detecting the only microwave photon capable of being the least powerful in nature,” said Solid-State Electronics and Electromagnetics. If the QU said. Research Office, U.S. An element of the Army Research Laboratory of the Army Combat Capability Development Command. “This technology will enable potential new capabilities for applications such as quantum sensing and radar, and will ensure that the U.S. Army maintains spectrum dominance in the near future.”

The graphene bolometer sensor detects electromagnetic radiation measuring temperature rise as photons are absorbed into the sensor. Graphene has two dimensions, one-Atom Thick layer. Researchers achieved high bolometer sensitivity by incorporating graphene into microwave antennas.

A key innovation in this progress is to measure the increase in temperature by superconducting the Josephson junction while connecting high microwave radiation to the graphene through the antenna, the researchers said. Age efficiency is essential to detect high sensitivity because “every precious photon counts.”

Josephine Junction is a quantum mechanical device composed of two superconducting electrodes separated by a barrier (thin insulating tunnel barrier, common metal, semiconductor, ferromagnet, etc.)

In addition to being thin, the electrons in graphene also have a very special band structure in which the valence and conduction bands meet at the same point, known as the dyke point.

“The density of the states disappears there so that when the electron receives the photon energy, the temperature rises to a high while the heat leakage is low,” said Dr. Raytheon of BBN Technologies. Said Qin Chung Fong.

With the increased sensitivity of bolmeter detectors, this research has found a new way to improve the performance of systems that detect electromagnetic signals such as radar, night vision, LIDAR (light detection and coloring), and communications. It will enable new applications such as quantum information science, thermal imaging as well as dark matter detection.

References: Gil-Ho Lee, Dmitry K. Afetov, Vochan Jung, Leonardo Ranjani, Ivan d. Whalsh, Thomas a. Ohki, Takashi Taniguchi, Kenji Watanabe, Philip Kim, Dirk England and “Graphene-Based Josephine Junction Microwave Blowmeter” Qin Chung Fong, September 30, 2020 Nature.
DOI: 10.1038 / s41586-020-2752-4

Part of the research conducted at MIT Work for the Soldier Nanotechnology Institute is included. U.S. The Army established the Institute in 2002 as an interdisciplinary research center for soldier safety, survival, and dramatic improvement in the mission capabilities of soldier and soldier-supporting platforms and systems.