Potential application of visible passive imaging polarimetry in the discrimination of real targets and decoys

Abstract

There have been renewed interests in utilizing imaging polarimetry in target detection and discrimination. A greater demand is the need for a sensor capable of discriminating between real military targets and decoys in the battlefield deployments. This paper demonstrates the potential application of passive visible imaging polarimetry in discriminating real targets from identical (same paint type, surface structure, and color) decoys, based on their composite materials. Target material made of steel is compared to three different decoy materials (wood, ceramic, and cardboard) are considered in this study.