The Sensors and Electromagnetic Applications Laboratory (SEAL) is one of eight labs in the Georgia Tech Research Institute

Georgia Tech Research Institute

The Georgia Tech Research Institute is the nonprofit applied research arm of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States...

. SEAL researchers investigate radar

Radar

Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...

 systems, electromagnetic

Electromagnetic radiation

Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy that exhibits wave-like behavior as it travels through space...

 environmental effects, radar system performance modeling and simulations, and antenna

Antenna (radio)

An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...

 technology.

Research areas

Radar programs focus on the development, analysis, and performance evaluation of radar systems; reflectivity and propagation measurement characterization; electronic attack and protection techniques; avionics

Avionics

Avionics are electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites and spacecraft.Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to meet individual roles...

 integration; non-cooperative target identification; vulnerability analysis; signal processing

Signal processing

Signal processing is an area of systems engineering, electrical engineering and applied mathematics that deals with operations on or analysis of signals, in either discrete or continuous time...

 techniques; ground and airborne moving target indification; synthetic aperture radar; and system sustainment tool development.

Antenna-related research programs characterize antenna gain characteristics, develop phased array antenna concepts, and develop various kinds of reflector-type and lens antennas. In the field of electromagnetic environmental effects, SEAL researchers analyze, measure, and control the electromagnetic interactions among elements of an electronic system and between the system and its environment. Additional research areas include sensor development for ballistic missile

Ballistic missile

A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...

 defense, physical security

Physical security

Physical security describes measures that are designed to deny access to unauthorized personnel from physically accessing a building, facility, resource, or stored information; and guidance on how to design structures to resist potentially hostile acts...

, meteorology

Meteorology

Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...

, space-based surveillance and detection, transportation applications, engineering data analysis and modeling for sustainment of complex electronic systems, and customer-tailored short courses in electronic defense.