The one-dimensional (1D) range profile is an important back scattering characteristic of objective, which reveals the longitudinal distribution of radar cross section (RCS) along the detection beam. Since the shape and posture can be reflected by the 1D range profile, it is of great significance in military to determine the target orientation, velocity and whether it is armed. In this paper, broadband terahertz 1D-range-profile measurement system is built based on the time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) system. It is in bistatic configuration (bistatic angle of 9°) and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is 34.5 dB, with a gold mirror used as a reflector. Benefiting from the ultrashort terahertz pulse width (full pulse width of 0.52 ps), the bandwidth covers the frequency range from 0.1 THz to 2.5 THz (peaked at 0.9 THz), corresponding to the range resolution on a submillimeter scale.

Firstly, the 1D range profiles of several objects in different shapes are measured, including the step, cylinder, step cone and their combination, which indicates that the geometric profile of the target in the detection direction is adequate to identify the shape feature of the target and proves the reliability of the 1D range profile measuring system based on TDS. Secondly, aluminum plates with different surface roughness in a range of 0–25 μm are also characterized. The Kirchhoff approximation theory and small perturbation method (SPM) are introduced to illustrate the characteristics of broadband terahertz 1D range profile related to the surface roughness of target. It is found that the scattering characteristic of metal object in the terahertz range is sensitive to surface roughness. If the surface roughness of the object is larger, the peak intensity of the 1D range profile will be weaker and the echo signal pulse width becomes wider. The rule is also applicable for the cases with different incident angles. Furthermore, it is revealed that the time delay of the 1D range profile in the bistatic system is related to the rotation direction of the target, which is useful in estimating the posture of the target. In summary, the characteristics of 1D range profile for metal objects relating to shape, surface roughness and posture are studied. The conclusions have certain guiding significance for the target detection and recognition of terahertz radar.