Tilted surfaces in short-wave infrared imagery: Speckle simulation and a simple contrast model

Carl E. Halford, Aaron L. Robinson, Ronald G. Driggers, Eddie L. Jacobs

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

An effective simulation of speckle with tilted surfaces illuminated by short-coherence-length lasers is presented. Two new tools for assessing speckle and/or its contrast under these conditions are developed and validated. The first is a simulation of the time-domain tilted-surface effects that provides speckle imagery. The second is a simple intuitive model for contrast derived from speckle reduction due to averaging. Field results of speckle imagery for a laser-illuminated target and a short-wave infrared imager validate the simulation. Simulated speckle is compared visually with the actual speckle. Also, contrasts of the speckle generated by simulation and actually imaged in the field are compared for one tilt angle. Existing analytical models of the contrast also validate the simulated speckle contrast. Contrast-versus-angle characteristics of simulated speckle are compared with the general analytical contrast model for speckle from tilted surfaces.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number053201
JournalOptical Engineering
Volume46
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2007
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Imagery
  • Short-wave infraved
  • Simulation
  • Speckle

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • General Engineering

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