Photon-limited synthetic-aperture imaging for planet surface studies

Physics – Optics

Scientific paper

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Carrier To Noise Ratios, Counting, Detection, Image Processing, Imaging Techniques, Laser Range Finders, Noise, Optical Radar, Photons, Planetary Surfaces, Signal Processing, Signal To Noise Ratios, Speckle Patterns, Synthetic Aperture Radar, Synthetic Apertures, Telescopes

Scientific paper

The carrier-to-noise ratio that results from phase-sensitive heterodyne detection in a photon-limited synthetic-aperture ladar (SAL) is developed, propagated through synthetic-aperture signal processing, and combined with speckle to give the signal-to-noise ratio of the resultant image. Carrier- and signal-to-noise ratios are defined in such a way as to be familiar to the optical imaging community. Design equations are presented to show that a 10-mum SAL in orbit around Mars can give centimeter-class resolution with reasonable laser power. SAL is harder to implement in the short-wave infrared and is probably not practical at visible wavelengths unless many separate images can be averaged. Some tutorial information on phase-sensitive heterodyne detection and on synthetic-aperture signal processing and image formation is provided.

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