Comparison of detection performance of near-, mid-, and far-infrared laser fuzes in clouds

To compare the detection performance of near-, mid-, and far-infrared laser fuzes in clouds, we built a laser fuze detection model in a cloud environment based on the Monte Carlo method, and simulated the echoes of near (0.86 mu m), mid- (4.6 mu m), and far-infrared (10 mu m) pulsed laser fuzes in clouds under two scenarios: the cloud backscattering echo in the absence of a target in clouds and the target echo in the presence of a target in clouds. The echoes of laser fuzes at different wave bands under two scenarios were compared, and the results show that the mid- and far-infrared laser fuzes have comparable detection performance in clouds, while presenting respective advantages and disadvantages compared to the fuze in the near- infrared wave band. With presentation of the detection performance comparison results between the near-, mid-, and far-infrared laser fuzes in clouds, this paper can provide guidance and reference for the application of mid- and far-infrared lasers in the laser fuze field. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America