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Abstract

A system for and method of electromagnetically detecting an embedded dielectric region within a target object are provided. The method includes the steps of: (i) selecting a target object including a plurality of discrete scattering mediums, wherein the plurality of discrete scattering mediums include the embedded dielectric region and an adjacent dielectric region, and wherein the plurality of discrete scattering mediums define at least one dielectric interface between the embedded dielectric region and the adjacent dielectric region; (ii) directing electromagnetic radiation at the target object, wherein the electromagnetic radiation is characterized by a diagnostic frequency that is varied incrementally over a diagnostic frequency band; (iii) detecting electromagnetic radiation reflected by the target object over the predetermined frequency band such that there are M measurements of a reflected electromagnetic signal at frequencies f.sub.1, f.sub.2, . . . , f.sub.N, where M represents a number of scattering mediums within the target object and where N represents a number of diagnostic frequencies within the diagnostic frequency band; (iv) constructing a correlation matrix representative of the reflected signal, wherein the correlation matrix comprises a number of signal eigenvectors and a number of noise eigenvectors; (v) decorrelating the correlation matrix by dividing the reflected signal according to frequency sub-bands within the diagnostic frequency band, wherein adjacent bands of the frequency sub-bands overlap, forming a series of iterated correlation matrices using signal eigenvectors and noise eigenvectors from each of the overlapping frequency sub-bands, forming a decorrelated matrix by averaging the iterated correlation matrices, wherein the decorrelated matrix comprises a finite group of signal eigenvectors and a finite group of noise eigenvectors; and (vi) constructing a scattering signature of the target object from the finite group of signal eigenvectors, wherein the scattering signature is indicative of the properties of the embedded dielectric region and the adjacent dielectric region.

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