Enhanced sensitivity for hyperspectral infrared chemical detection

The sensitivity of imaging, hyperspectral, passive remote sensors in the long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) spectral region is currently limited by the ability to achieve an accurate, time-invariant, pixel-to-pixel calibration of the elements composing the Focal Plane Array (FPA). Pursuing conventional techniques to improve the accuracy of the calibration will always be limited by the trade-off between the time required to collect calibration data of improved precision and the drift in the pixel response that occurs on a timescale comparable to the calibration time. This paper will present the results from a study of a method to circumvent these problems. Improvements in detection capability can be realized by applying a quick, repetitive dither of the field of view (FOV) of the imager (by a small angular amount), so that radiance/spectral differences between individual target areas can be measured by a single FPA pixel. By performing this difference measurement repetitively both residual differences in the pixel-to-pixel calibration and l/f detector drift noise can effectively be eliminated. In addition, variations in the atmosphere and target scene caused by the motion of the sensor platform will cause signal drifts that this technique would be able to remove. This method allows improvements in sensitivity that could potentially scale as the square root of the observation time

Characterization of background reflectivity for MEDUSA

The DARPA MEDUSA program goal is to detect, locate, and identify electro-optical threats in the vicinity of a moving platform. Laser sensing will be employed to find these threats by looking for anomalous reflections from threat sensors. However, the reflectivity variability (clutter) in both natural and manmade backgrounds will inherently limit target detection levels. In parallel with advanced component development by several aerospace contractors, a study of this clutter limitation was initiated in the long-wave (LW) and midwave (MW) infrared spectral regions to properly drive system design parameters. The analysis of clutter and associated limits on detection has been a major component of LANL efforts in laser remote sensing for non-proliferation. LANL is now analyzing existing data and conducting additional selected measurements in both the LWIR (9 and 10.6 pm) and MWIR (4.6 pm) in support of the DARPA program to increase our understanding of these clutter limitations and, thereby aid in the design and development of the MEDUSA system. The status of the LANL effort will be discussed. A variety of different natural and manmade target types have been investigated. Target scenes range from relatively low clutter sites typical of a southwestern desert to higher clutter downtown urban sites. Images are created by conducting raster scans across a scene interest. These images are then analyzed using data clustering techniques (e g K-means) to identify regions within the scene that contain similar reflectivity profiles. Data will be presented illustrating the reflectivity variability among different samples of the same target type, Le. within the same cluster, and among different data clusters. In general, it is found that the variability of reflectivities among similar targets is well represented by a log-normal distribution. Furthermore, manmade target tend to have higher reflectivities and more variability than natural targets. The implications of this observation for MEDUSA systems designed to locate and identify threat sensors will be discussed. The implications for chemical sensing applications will also be addressed

Aperture averaging of optical scintillations in CO2 DIAL

Atmospheric turbulence causes several effects on a propagating laser beam We have previously studied the effects of beam spreading and beam wander, and feel we have a good understanding of their impact on CO2 DIAL. Another effect is scintillation where atmospheric turbulence causes irradiance fluctuations within the envelope of the beam profile. We believe that scintillation at the target plays an important role in LIDAR return statistics. A Huygens-Fresnel wave optics computer simulation for propagating beams through atmospheric optical turbulence has been previously developed. We modify this simulation to include the effects of reflective speckle and examine its application in comparison with experimental data

Title: Target Characterization in 3D Using Infrared Lidar Target Characterization in 3D Using Infrared Lidar

ABSTRACT We report examples of the use of a scanning tunable CO 2 laser lidar system in the 9-11 µm region to construct images of vegetation and rocks at ranges of up to 5 km from the instrument. Range information is combined with horizontal and vertical distances to yield an image with three spatial dimensions simultaneous with the classification of target type. Object classification is made possible by the distinct spectral signatures of both natural and man-made objects. Several multivariate statistical methods are used to illustrate the degree of discrimination possible among the natural variability of objects in both spectral shape and amplitude

Wave optics simulation of atmospheric turbulence and reflective speckle effects in CO2 lidar

Applied Optics, Volume 39, No. 12, pp. 1857-1871 (20 April 2000)Laser speckle can influence lidar measurements from a diffuse hard target. Atmospheric optical turbulence will also affect the lidar return signal. We present a numerical simulation that models the propagation of a lidar beam and accounts for both reflective speckle and atmospheric turbulence effects. Our simulation is based on implementing a Huygens- Fresnel approximation to laser propagation. A series of phase screens, with the appropriate atmospheric statistical characteristics, are used to simulate the effect of atmospheric turbulence. A single random phase screen is used to simulate scattering of the entire beam from a rough surface. We compare the output of our numerical model with separate CO2 lidar measurements of atmospheric turbulence and reflective speckle. We also compare the output of our model with separate analytical predictions for atmospheric turbulence and reflective speckle. Good agreement was found between the model and the experimental data. Good agreement was also found with analytical predictions. Finally, we present results of a simulation of the combined effects on a finite-aperture lidar system that are qualitatively consistent with previous experimental observations of increasing rms noise with increasing turbulence level.This research was fully supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under contract W-7405-ENG-36

Wave optics simulation of atmospheric turbulence and reflective speckle effects in CO2 differential absorption LIDAR (DIAL)

AEROSENSE 98 Meeting Orlando Fl, April 1998The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.323933The measurement sensitivity of C02 differential absorption LIDAR (DIAL) can be affected by a number of different processes. We will address the interaction of two of these processes: effects due to beam propagation through atmospheric turbulence and effects due to reflective speckle. Atmospheric turbulence affects the beam distribution of energy and phase on target. These effects include beam spreading, beam wander and scintillation which can result in increased shot-to-shot signal noise. In addition, reflective speckle alone has a major impact on the sensitivity of C02 DIAL. The interaction of atmospheric turbulence and reflective speckle is of great importance in the performance of a DIAL system.. A Huygens­ Fresnel wave optics propagation code has previously been developed at the Naval Postgraduate School that models the effects of atmospheric turbulence as propagation through a series of phase screens with appropriate atmospheric statistical characteristics. This code has been modified to include the effects of reflective speckle. The performance of this modified code with respect to the combined effects of atmospheric turbulence and reflective speckle is examined. Results are compared with a combination of experimental data and analytical models.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Atmospheric effects on CO{sub 2} differential absorption lidar sensitivity

The ambient atmosphere between the laser transmitter and the target can affect CO{sub 2} differential absorption lidar (DIAL) measurement sensitivity through a number of different processes. In this work, we will address two of the sources of atmospheric interference with CO{sub 2} DIAL measurements: effects due to beam propagation through atmospheric turbulence and extinction due to absorption by atmospheric gases. Measurements of atmospheric extinction under different atmospheric conditions are presented and compared to a standard atmospheric transmission model (FASCODE). We have also investigated the effects of atmospheric turbulence on system performance. Measurements of the effective beam size after propagation are compared to model predictions using simultaneous measurements of atmospheric turbulence as input to the model. These results are also discussed in the context of the overall effect of beam propagation through atmospheric turbulence on the sensitivity of DIAL measurements

Wave optics simulation of atmospheric turbulence and reflective speckle effects in CO{sub 2} lidar

The article of record as published may be found at https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.39.001857Laser speckle can influence lidar measurements from a diffuse hard target. Atmospheric optical turbulence will also affect the lidar return signal. We present a numerical simulation that models the propagation of a lidar beam and accounts for both reflective speckle and atmospheric turbulence effects. Our simulation is based on implementing a Huygens-Fresnel approximation to laser propagation. A series of phase screens, with the appropriate atmospheric statistical characteristics, are used to simulate the effect of atmospheric turbulence. A single random phase screen is used to simulate scattering of the entire beam from a rough surface. We compare the output of our numerical model with separate CO{sub 2} lidar measurements of atmospheric turbulence and reflective speckle. We also compare the output of our model with separate analytical predictions for atmospheric turbulence and reflective speckle. Good agreement was found between the model and the experimental data. Good agreement was also found with analytical predictions. Finally, we present results of a simulation of the combined effects on a finite-aperture lidar system that are qualitatively consistent with previous experimental observations of increasing rms noise with increasing turbulence level. (c) 2000 Optical Society of America

Advanced laser sensing receiver concepts based on FPA technology.

The ultimate performance of any remote sensor is ideally governed by the hardware signal-to-noise capability and allowed signal-averaging time. In real-world scenarios, this may not be realizable and the limiting factors may suggest the need for more advanced capabilities. Moving from passive to active remote sensors offers the advantage of control over the illumination source, the laser. Added capabilities may include polarization discrimination, instantaneous imaging, range resolution, simultaneous multi-spectral measurement, or coherent detection. However, most advanced detection technology has been engineered heavily towards the straightforward passive sensor requirements, measuring an integrated photon flux. The need for focal plane array technology designed specifically for laser sensing has been recognized for some time, but advances have only recently made the engineering possible. This paper will present a few concepts for laser sensing receiver architectures, the driving specifications behind those concepts, and test/modeling results of such designs

Huygens-Fresnel wave-optics simulation of atmospheric optical turbulence and reflective speckle in CO2 differential absorption LIDAR (DIAL)

The measurement sensitivity of C02 differential absorption lidar (DIAL) can be affected by a number of different processes. We have previously developed a Huygens-Fresnel wave optics propagation code to simulate the effects of two of these processes: effects caused by beam propagation through atmospheric optical turbulence and effects caused by reflective speckle. Atmospheric optical turbulence affects the beam distribution of energy and phase on target. These effects include beam spreading, beam wander and scintillation which can result in increased shot-to-shot signal noise. In addition, reflective speckle alone has been shown to have a major impact on the sensitivity of C02 DIAL. However, in real DIAL systems it is a combination of these phenomena, the interaction of atmospheric optical turbulence and reflective speckle, that influences the results. In this work, we briefly review a description of our model including the limitations along with previous simulations of individual effects. The performance of our modified code with respect to experimental measurements affected by atmospheric optical turbulence and reflective speckle is examined. The results of computer simulations are directly compared with lidar measurements and show good agreement. In addition, advanced studies have been performed to demonstrate the utility of our model in assessing the effects for different lidar geometries on RMS noise and correlation "size" in the receiver plane.U.S. Department of EnergyW-7405-ENG-3