Passive hyperspectral terahertz imagery for security screening using a cryogenic microbolometer

摘要

We present passive indoor imagery of human subjects in the 100 - 1000 GHz band. In order to obtain adequate sensitivity, a cryogenically cooled (4 K), broadband antenna-coupled, superconducting microbolometer with optical noise equivalent power NEP < 2 pW/Hz~(1/2) was used as the sensor. Mechanical scanning of the collecting aperture, a 30 cm diameter spherical mirror, was used to slowly accumulate the images. While not yet practical for deployable realtime cameras, this system provides valuable phenomenological comparisons with similar imagery obtained with actively illuminated systems.