Marine Raman image amplification

Lonnie K. Calmes; James T. Murray; William Lucas Austin; Richard C. Powell

doi:10.1117/12.366484

28 October 1999 Marine Raman image amplification

Lonnie K. Calmes, James T. Murray, William Lucas Austin, Richard C. Powell

Proceedings Volume 3761, Airborne and In-Water Underwater Imaging; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.366484
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1999, Denver, CO, United States

Abstract

Lite Cycles has developed a new type of range-gated, LIDAR sensing element based on Raman image amplification in a solid-state optical crystal. Marine Raman Image Amplification (MARIA) is a feasible technology for producing high-resolution imagery in an underwater environment. MARIA is capable of amplifying low-level optical images with gains up to 10⁶ with the addition of only quantum-limited noise. The high gains available from MARIA can compensate for low quantum efficiency detectors. The range-gate of MARIA is controlled by the pulsewidth of the amplifier pump laser and can be made as short as 30 - 100 cm, using pump pulses of 2 - 6.7 nsec FWHM. The use of MARIA in an imaging LIDAR system has been shown to result in higher SNR images throughout a broad range of incident light levels, in contrast to the increasing noise factor occurring with reduced gain in ICCDs. The imaging resolution of MARIA in the marine environment can be superior to images produced by a laser line scan or standard range-gated imaging system. MARIA is also superior in rejecting unwanted sunlight background, further increasing the SNR of images. MARIA has the potential of providing the best overall system resolution and SNR, making it ideal for the identification of mine-like objects, even in bright sunlight conditions.

Citation Download Citation

Lonnie K. Calmes, James T. Murray, William Lucas Austin, and Richard C. Powell "Marine Raman image amplification", Proc. SPIE 3761, Airborne and In-Water Underwater Imaging, (28 October 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.366484

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