Channeled spectropolarimetry can measure the complete polarization state of light as a function of wavelength. Typically, a channeled spectropolarimeter uses high order retarders made of uniaxial crystal to amplitude modulate the measured spectrum with the spectrally-dependent Stokes polarization information. A primary limitation of conventional channeled spectropolarimeters is related to the thermal variability of the retarders. Thermal variation often forces frequent system recalibration, particularly for field deployed systems. However, implementing thermally stable retarders, made of biaxial crystal, results in an athermal channeled spectropolarimeter that relieves the need for frequent recalibration. This report presents experimental results for an anthermalized channeled spectropolarimeter prototype produced using potassium titanyl phosphate. The results of this prototype are compared to the current thermal stabilization state of the art. Finally, the application of the technique to the thermal infrared is studied, and the athermalization concept is applied to an infrared imaging spectropolarimeter design.
Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Mercier, Jeffrey A.; Schowengerdt, Robert A.; Storey, James C.; Smith, Jody L.
The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) extraction process traditionally uses a stereo pair of aerial photographs that are sequentially captured using an airborne metric camera. Standard DEM extraction techniques have been naturally extended to utilize satellite imagery. However, the particular characteristics of satellite imaging can cause difficulties in the DEM extraction process. The ephemeris of the spacecraft during the collects, with respect to the ground test site, is the most important factor in the elevation extraction process. When the angle of separation between the stereo images is small, the extraction process typically produces measurements with low accuracy. A large angle of separation can cause an excessive number of erroneous points in the output DEM. There is also a possibility of having occluded areas in the images when drastic topographic variation is present, making it impossible to calculate elevation in the blind spots. The use of three or more images registered to the same ground area can potentially reduce these problems and improve the accuracy of the extracted DEM. The pointing capability of the Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI) allows for multiple collects of the same area to be taken from different perspectives. This functionality of MTI makes it a good candidate for the implementation of DEM extraction using multiple images for improved accuracy. This paper describes a project to evaluate this capability and the algorithms used to extract DEMs from multi-look MTI imagery.
Characterizing the geology, geotechnical aspects, and rock properties of deep underground facility sites can enhance targeting strategies for both nuclear and conventional weapons. This report describes the results of a study to investigate the utility of remote spectral sensing for augmenting the geological and geotechnical information provided by traditional methods. The project primarily considered novel exploitation methods for space-based sensors, which allow clandestine collection of data from denied sites. The investigation focused on developing and applying novel data analysis methods to estimate geologic and geotechnical characteristics in the vicinity of deep underground facilities. Two such methods, one for measuring thermal rock properties and one for classifying rock types, were explored in detail. Several other data exploitation techniques, developed under other projects, were also examined for their potential utility in geologic characterization.