- computational electromagnetics, which involves using computers to predict the interactions of electromagnetic fields and waves with materials in complex media and geometries 

- ionospheric electromagnetics, including very low frequency/ extremely low frequency wave studies of lightning phenomena such as sprites 

- microwave electronics, which involves developing both active and passive monolithic microwave integrated circuits and collaborating with industry for computer modeling and experimental verification of new designs 

- radar remote sensing, to probe storms in order to estimate rainfall rates, detect hail, and determine regions of ice- and water-phase hydrometeors 

- radar techniques for study of the ionosphere and meteors 

- satellite- and ground-based microwave remote sensing to measure the concentration of atmospheric, water vapor 

- lidar remote sensing, in which ground-based, high-power lasers are used for remote sensing of lower- and middle-atmospheric properties 

- satellite systems and communications and "wireless" propagation 

- rocket and satellite measurements of the middle atmosphere to understand, for example, the transfer of energy from lightning discharges to the global electrical circuit 

In addition to this research, CSSL faculty have developed courses in areas ranging from analog electronics and microwave remote sensing to upper-atmospheric physics and chemistry to antenna design, satellite communications, and "wireless" propagation. The laboratory traditionally has provided research opportunities for graduate students from not only electrical engineering but also physics, meteorology, mathematics, aeronautics, and engineering science and mechanics. Faculty from these disciplines also join the laboratory's research efforts, and international scientists frequently visit CSSL to work with faculty and students.

 

 

Facilities

Faculty and students in CSSL use various research instruments and computational techniques to study electromagnetic phenomena as well as direct and remote sensing of the atmosphere, ionosphere, and near-space environment. Lidar, radar, and radiometer systems probe from ground level to altitudes of many thousands of kilometers. Faculty and students also conduct flight hardware instrumentation for rocket-borne measurements of atmospheric and ionospheric properties; these payloads have been launched at such locations as Alaska, northern Norway and Sweden, Peru, and East Africa. Faculty routinely perform remote sensing measurements of water vapor in the atmosphere using ground- and satellite-based microwave radiometers. Recent projects include design and construction of the CSSL (Combined Sporadic Structures and Layers) payload, and construction of a millimeter-wave radar and two atmospheric lidars. 

For other studies, faculty use national observatories: the Incoherent Scatter Radar and various lidars at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma, and the HLPAS ionosphere heating facility in Fairbanks, Alaska. Faculty and graduate students conduct signal processing, data analysis, and computation studies on a wide variety of computers, including various desktop systems, workstations, and supercomputers. 

Faculty

The following faculty participate in the activities of the Communications and Space Sciences Laboratory: J. D. Mathews (director), K. Aydin, J. K. Breakall, L. A. Carpenter, C. L. Croskey, R. L. Divany, A. J. Ferraro, T. Kane, R. J. Luebbers, J. D. Mitchell, R. Mittra, C. R. Philbrick, and T. Wheeler. 

EE Web Sites

• Communications and Space Sciences Laboratory