Optimization of Active Polarimeters for Real-Time Imaging

The Army has identified the need to enhance existing ground-based surveillance platforms by utilizing polarimetric imaging (PI). Situational awareness imagery has become a vital tool for locating and helping to neutralize roadway threats. The urgency of these threats demands quick, cost effective solutions that can be easily integrated into existing systems without loss of current functionality. While passive PI has demonstrated its usefulness at enhancing detection capabilities, it suffers from a decrease in optical performance. The degradation is caused by a significant reduction in the number of photons reaching the sensor focal plane array (FPA) due to the use of polarizers to analyze the incoming radiation. This inhibits the ability to perform effective target discrimination. Consequently, an active illumination source is needed to restore signal-to-noise losses. Kord Technologies and Digital Fusion plan to address this issue by developing robust real-time polarimetric detection and discrimination algorithms for IED and hostile vehicle targets. Sensor performance will be modeled and probability curves generated for simulated targets. In addition, a feasibility study for development (or re-engineering) of an active SWIR polarimetric sensor system will be performed.