The W band of the microwave

Microwave

Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...

 part of the electromagnetic spectrum

Electromagnetic spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. The "electromagnetic spectrum" of an object is the characteristic distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by that particular object....

 ranges from 75 to 110 GHz

GHZ

GHZ or GHz may refer to:# Gigahertz .# Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state — a quantum entanglement of three particles.# Galactic Habitable Zone — the region of a galaxy that is favorable to the formation of life....

. It sits above the U.S. IEEE designated V band

V band

The V band of the electromagnetic spectrum ranges from 50 to 75 GHz. The V band is not heavily used, except for millimeter wave radar research and other kinds of scientific research...

 (50–75 GHz) in frequency, yet overlaps the NATO designated M band

M band

M band can refer to two different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, in the radio and near-infrared.-Radio:The M band is the range of radio frequencies from 60 GHz to 100 GHz in the electromagnetic spectrum. This is equal to wave lengths between 5 mm and 3 mm...

 (60–100 GHz). The W band is used for satellite communications, millimeter wave radar research, military radar targeting and tracking applications, and some non-military applications.

A number of passive millimeter-wave cameras for concealed weapons detection operate at 94 GHz. A frequency around 77 GHz is used for automotive cruise control radar

Autonomous cruise control system

Autonomous cruise control is an optional cruise control system for road vehicles. It makes no use of satellite or roadside infrastructures nor of any cooperative support from other vehicles. Hence control is imposed based on sensor information from on-board sensors only...

. The atmospheric radio window

Radio window

The radio window is the range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation that the earth's atmosphere lets through. The wavelengths in the radio window run from about one centimetre to about eleven-metre waves.-See also:*Astronomical window...

 at 94 GHz is used for imaging millimeter-wave 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...

 applications in astronomy, defense, and security applications.

Less-than-lethal weaponry exists that uses millimeter waves to heat a thin layer of human skin to an intolerable temperature so as to make the targeted person move away. A two-second burst of the 95 GHz focused beam heats the skin to a temperature of 130 °F (54 °C) at a depth of 1/64th of an inch (0.4 mm). The United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 and Marines

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 are currently using this type of Active Denial System

Active Denial System

The Active Denial System is a non-lethal, directed-energy weapon developed by the U.S. military. It is a strong millimeter-wave transmitter primarily used for crowd control . Some ADS such as HPEM ADS are also used to disable vehicles. Informally, the weapon is also called the heat ray...

.

In terms of communications capability, W-band offers high data rate throughput when used at high altitudes and in space. (The 71 - 76 GHz / 81 - 86 GHz segment of the W-band is allocated by the International Telecommunication Union

International Telecommunication Union

The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...

 to satellite services.) Because of increasing spectrum and orbit congestion at lower frequencies, W-band satellite allocations are of increasing interest to commercial satellite operators, although no commercial project has yet been implemented in these bands.

Other Microwave bands

The microwave spectrum is usually defined as electromagnetic energy ranging from approximately 1 GHz to 100 GHz in frequency, but older usage includes lower frequencies. Most common applications are within the 1 to 40 GHz range. Microwave frequency bands, as defined by the Radio Society of Great Britain

Radio Society of Great Britain

First founded in 1913 as the London Wireless Club, the Radio Society of Great Britain is the United Kingdom's recognised national society for amateur radio operators. The society's patron is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and it represents the interests of the UK’s 60,000 licensed radio amateurs...

 (RSGB), are shown in the table below:

L band L band L band refers to four different bands of the electromagnetic spectrum: 40 to 60 GHz , 1 to 2 GHz , 1565 nm to 1625 nm , and around 3.5 micrometres .-NATO L band:...	1 to 2 GHz
S band S band The S band is defined by an IEEE standard for radio waves with frequencies that range from 2 to 4 GHz, crossing the conventional boundary between UHF and SHF at 3.0 GHz. It is part of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum...	2 to 4 GHz
C band C band The C band is a name given to certain portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, including wavelengths of microwaves that are used for long-distance radio telecommunications. The IEEE C-band - and its slight variations - contains frequency ranges that are used for many satellite communications...	4 to 8 GHz
X band X band The X band is a segment of the microwave radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some cases, such as in communication engineering, the frequency range of X band is rather indefinitely set at approximately 7.0 to 11.2 gigahertz . In radar engineering, the frequency range is specified...	8 to 12 GHz
Ku band Ku band The Kμ band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to —in other words, the band directly below the K-band...	12 to 18 GHz
K band K band K band designates certain portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, in either the microwave domain or in the infrared domain. The microwave K bands are used primarily for radar and satellite communications while the infrared K band is used for astronomical observations.-NATO K band:The NATO K band...	18 to 26.5 GHz
Ka band Ka band The Ka band covers the frequencies of 26.5–40 GHz. The Ka band is part of the K band of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum. This symbol refers to "K-above" — in other words, the band directly above the K-band...	26.5 to 40 GHz
Q band Q band The Q band of the microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum and ranges from 33 to 50 GHz. It sits above, and partly overlaps with, the U.S. IEEE designated Ka band . It sits below the U.S...	30 to 50 GHz
U band	40 to 60 GHz
V band V band The V band of the electromagnetic spectrum ranges from 50 to 75 GHz. The V band is not heavily used, except for millimeter wave radar research and other kinds of scientific research...	50 to 75 GHz
E band E band The NATO E band is the range of radio frequencies from 2 GHz to 3 GHz in the electromagnetic spectrum. This is equal to wave lengths between 15 cm and 10 cm. The E band is in the upper UHF range of the radio spectrum...	60 to 90 GHz
W band	75 to 110 GHz
F band F band The F band is the range of radio frequencies from 90 GHz to 140 GHz in the electromagnetic spectrum. This is equal to wave lengths between 2.1 mm and 3.3 mm...	90 to 140 GHz
D band D band IEEE D band is the range of radio frequencies from 110 GHz to 170 GHz in the electromagnetic spectrum. This is equal to wave lengths between 1.8 mm and 2.7 mm...	110 to 170 GHz

Footnote: P band is sometimes incorrectly used for Ku Band. "P" for "previous" was a radar band used in the UK ranging from 250 to 500 MHz and now obsolete per IEEE Std 521, seehttp://www.radioing.com/eengineer/bands.html and http://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedia/letterbands.cfm. For other definitions see Letter Designations of Microwave Bands

External links

• A cloud radar at 94 GHz