Design of volume hologram filters for suppression of daytime sky brightness in artificial satellite detection.

We present a design methodology for volume hologram filters (VHFs) with telephoto objectives to improve contrast of solar-illuminated artificial satellites observed with a ground-based optical telescope and camera system operating in daytime. VHFs provide the ability to selectively suppress incoming light based on the range to the source, and are used to suppress the daylight background noise since signal (satellite) and noise (daylight scatterers) are located at different altitudes. We derive the overall signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) enhancement as the system metric, and balance main design parameters over two key performance considerations--daylight attenuation and spectral bandwidth--to optimize the functioning of VHFs. Overall SNR enhancement of 7.5 has been achieved. Usage of multi-pixel cameras can potentially further refine this system.

[1]  Se Baek Oh,et al.  Spectrally resolved multidepth fluorescence imaging. , 2011, Journal of Biomedical Optics.

[2]  Yuan Luo,et al.  Laser-induced fluorescence imaging of subsurface tissue structures with a volume holographic spatial-spectral imaging system. , 2008, Optics letters.

[3]  Yuan Luo,et al.  Optimization of multiplexed holographic gratings in PQ-PMMA for spectral-spatial imaging filters. , 2008, Optics letters.

[4]  Juan Manuel Russo,et al.  Temperature dependence properties of holographic gratings in phenanthrenquinone doped poly(methyl methacrylate) photopolymers. , 2007, Applied optics.

[5]  S. Oh,et al.  Computational Optimization of Volume Holographic Imaging Systems , 2007 .

[6]  Wenyang Sun,et al.  Volume holographic imaging in transmission geometry. , 2004, Applied optics.

[7]  Demetri Psaltis,et al.  Coherent Optical Information Systems , 2002, Science.

[8]  George Barbastathis,et al.  Volume Holographic Multiplexing Methods , 2000 .

[9]  David J. Brady,et al.  Multidimensional tomographic imaging using volume holography , 1999, Proc. IEEE.

[10]  L Hesselink,et al.  Volume Holographic Storage and Retrieval of Digital Data , 1994, Science.

[11]  D Psaltis,et al.  Three-dimensional holographic disks. , 1994, Applied optics.

[12]  A. Berk.  MODTRAN : A moderate resolution model for LOWTRAN7 , 1989 .

[13]  J. Hughes.  Sky Brightness as a Function of Altitude , 1964 .

[14]  R. Anthony.  OBSERVATION OF NON-RAYLEIGH SCATTERING IN THE SPECTRUM OF THE DAY SKY IN THE REGION 0.56 TO 2.2 MICRONS , 1953 .