Compressive passive millimeter wave imager

1. A method for millimeter-wave imaging comprising:

positioning a portion of an extended Hadamard mask within an opening of a template with an opening of size p×q, the extended Hadamard mask having a size (2p−1)×(2q−1) wherein p and q are prime numbers, the Hadamard mask receiving millimeter waves from a source;

transmitting a portion of the millimeter waves through transmit pixels in the Hadamard mask;

reflecting a portion of the millimeter waves by reflect pixels in the Hadamard mask;

focusing the transmitted portion of the millimeter waves; and

receiving the focused millimeter waves at a detector.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein pixel size is s>λ/2 where λ is the wavelength of the received millimeter waves.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising imaging an object through an imaging lens, wherein an image plane is projected.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the extended Hadamard mask is positioned at the image plane.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the portion of the Hadamard mask is at least 40 pixels by 40 pixels.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the application of a relaxation technique to reconstruct the image.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the image is reconstructed according to

I

s

=

S

-

1

⁢

I

m

=

2

pq

+

1

⁢

(

2

⁢

S

T

-

J

)

⁢

I

m

where J is an all-one matrix.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein q=p+2.

9. A system for passive millimeter wave imaging a source comprising:

an extended Hadamard mask comprising a plurality of pixels, the pixels including transmitting pixels and non-transmitting pixels, the transmitting pixels allowing millimeter waves to pass through;

a template with an opening smaller than the extended Hadamard mask, the template positioned between the source and the extended Hadamard mask

a focusing lens positioned behind the extended Hadamard mask relative to the source and positioned to receive millimeter waves from the extended Hadamard mask;

a receiving antenna associated with the focusing lens to receive millimeter waves; and

a radiometer in communication with the receiving antenna.

10. The system of claim 9 , further comprising an imaging lens positioned between the source and the extended Hadamard mask.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the extended Hadamard mask is positioned at the imaging lens' image plane.

12. The system of claim 9 , further comprising a 2-axis stage in communication with the extended Hadamard mask.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the extended Hadamard mask has a size (2p−1)×(2q−1) and the template opening has a size p×q.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein p and q are prime numbers.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein pixel size is s>λ/2 where λ is the wavelength of the millimeter waves.

16. A computer-implemented machine for imaging an object, comprising:

a processor; and

a tangible computer-readable medium operatively connected to the processor and including computer code configured to control:

imaging an object via an imaging lens at an image plane;

positioning a Hadamard mask at the image plane;

interacting millimeter waves from the object with the Hadamark mask;

transmitting a portion of the millimeter waves through transmit pixels in the Hadamark mask;

focusing the transmitted portion of the millimeter waves; and

receiving the focused millimeter waves.

17. The computer-implemented machine of claim 16 , wherein the positioning of the Hadamard mask comprises selecting a Hadamard mask.

18. The computer-implemented machine of claim 17 , wherein selecting the Hadamard mask comprises selecting an area of size p×q from an extended Hadamard mask of size (2p−1)×(2q−1).

19. The computer-implemented machine of claim 18 , further comprising selecting a subset of the pixels starting at every nth pixel of the extended Hadamard mask, where n is greater than 1.

20. The computer implemented machine of claim 16 , further including computer code configured to control the application of a relaxation technique to reconstruct the image.