Performance characteristics of a submarine panoramic infrared imaging sensor

A high-resolution mid-wave infrared panoramic periscope sensor system has been developed. The sensor includes a catadioptric optical system that provides a 360° horizontal azimuth by -10° to +30° elevation field of view without requiring moving components (e.g. rotating mirrors). The focal plane is a 2048 x 2048, 15μm pitch InSb detector operating at 80K. An on-board thermo-electric reference source allows for real-time nonuniformity correction using the two-point correction method. The entire system (detector-dewar assembly, cooler, electronics and optics) is packaged to fit in an 8" high, 6.5" diameter volume. This work describes both the system optics and electronics and presents sample imagery. We also discuss the sensor's radiometric performance, quantified by the NEDT, as a function of key system parameters. The ability of the system to resolve targets as a function of imaged spatial frequency is also presented.