Some novel optical approaches to spatial clutter rejection have recently been proposed. Applications include the detection of small objects near larger or brighter emissions and the detection of dim targets against spatially structured backgrounds. This paper presents a mathematical comparison of the performance of conventional optics with that of a tailored optical transfer function approach. The analytic approach used in this paper follows that of Fried and Williams (1977) whereby the root mean square clutter leakage through the sensor is calculated in terms of the power spectral density of the background, the optical system transfer function and the detector transfer function. Attention is given to point source moving targets.

Date Published: 21 July 1981
PDF: 14 pages
Proc. SPIE 0268, Imaging Spectroscopy I, (21 July 1981); doi: 10.1117/12.959933

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0268:
Imaging Spectroscopy I
David D. Norris, Editor(s)