Detection of Low Contrast Targets at 5 microm and 10 microm: a Comparison.

The purpose of this experimental study is to compare the performance of two types of ir detectors for detection of distant ships against a sea or horizon background. The detectors are of the InSb and Hg(1-x) Cd(x)Te types, sensitive in the 5-microm and 10-microm region, respectively. The results obtained from radiometric measurements seem to confirm theoretical estimates that the Hg(1-x)Cd(x)Te detector is superior for this task compared to the InSb detector.