Statistical model for atmospheric limb radiance structure: application to airborne infrared surveillance systems

Carine Quang; Francis Dalaudier; Antoine Roblin; Valérie Rialland; Patrick Chervet

doi:10.1117/12.799815

14 October 2008 Statistical model for atmospheric limb radiance structure: application to airborne infrared surveillance systems

Carine Quang, Francis Dalaudier, Antoine Roblin, Valérie Rialland, Patrick Chervet

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7108, Optics in Atmospheric Propagation and Adaptive Systems XI; 710805 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.799815
Event: SPIE Remote Sensing, 2008, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

Abstract

Infrared (IR) detectors can be used as airborne limb-viewing surveillance systems for missile detection. These systems' performances are impacted by the atmospheric inhomogeneous background. In fact, the probability of target detection can be heavily affected. Consequently, the knowledge of these radiance small-scale fluctuations and their statistical properties is required to assess these systems' detection capability. A model of two-dimensional radiance spatial fluctuations autocorrelation function (ACF) is developed. This model is dedicated to airborne limb-viewing conditions in the thermal IR. In the stratosphere and in clear-sky conditions, the structured background is mainly due to internal-gravity-wave-induced temperature and density spatial fluctuations. Moreover, in the particular case of water vapour absorption bands, the mass fraction fluctuations play a non negligible role on the radiative field. Thereby, considering the temperature field and the water vapour field as stochastic processes, the radiance ACF can be expressed as a function of the temperature ACF and the water vapor mass fraction ACF. A local thermodynamic equilibrium model is sufficient for stratospheric conditions and sunlight scattering is neglected in the thermal IR. In addition, determination of the radiance fluctuations ACF requires the knowledge of the absorption coefficient and its first derivatives with respect to the temperature and water vapour mass fraction. Thus, a line-by-line model specific to water vapor absorption bands has been developed. This model is used to precalculate the absorption coefficients and their derivatives. This look-up table method allows circumventing the computational cost of a line-by-line calculation. A detailed description of the radiance fluctuations ACF model is presented and first results are discussed.

Citation Download Citation

Carine Quang, Francis Dalaudier, Antoine Roblin, Valérie Rialland, and Patrick Chervet "Statistical model for atmospheric limb radiance structure: application to airborne infrared surveillance systems", Proc. SPIE 7108, Optics in Atmospheric Propagation and Adaptive Systems XI, 710805 (14 October 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.799815

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