Dissertation Defense: Joshua Follansbee, "Active Targeting in the SWIR and eSWIR"

Abstract:

Passive imaging systems provide important targeting information for military platforms, but can fail in conditions of reduced illumination (including nighttime operation) and in degraded visual environments such as smoke, haze, and fog. The SWIR and extended SWIR (eSWIR) imaging bands provide a balance between atmospheric scattering and absorption and diffraction-limited spot size, but are still subject to performance degradation when passive illumination is reduced. This has led to interest in active imaging systems in the SWIR and eSWIR. This thesis examines several performance trades for active targeting systems, including SWIR vs. eSWIR wavelengths and continuous-wave vs. laser range-gated imaging architectures. It also examines speckle contrast for active targeting systems, the performance of avalanche photodiode cameras, and the development of an active imaging testbed for field imaging studies.