<title>Modeling active imager performance</title>

Abstract

Active imaging systems with coherent or partially coherent illuminators differ significantly from passive incoherent imagers. The impact of atmospheric turbulence in active systems can be greater than in a passive systems and rough surface induced speckle is often present in the imagery. The nature of the target illumination is also of a significantly different character than in passive systems. Currently released NVESD models do not address these aspects of imaging for full or partially coherent illumination. Extensions of the NVESD models to account for the performance impact of turbulence and speckle have been completed. This paper outlines the methods used for modeling the performance of active imaging systems with particular attention to the impact of speckle and atmospheric scintillation. Results from perception experiments using simulated imagery are presented.