Theoretical comparison of thermal contrast detected with thermal and quantum detector

We perform the theoretical comparison between the detected thermal contrast measured with a quantum and uncooled thermal detector. For earth based remote monitoring of room temperature processes, the detection of contrast using the quantum detector is by a factor of about 20 better than with the thermal one, even in the case that the detected thermal contrast arises solely due to changes in emissivity. Consequently, minute emissivity changes arising due to disease onset can be monitored by an appropriately selected detector and the wavelength interval of its operation. This is applicable equally to crop monitoring and to the non-invasive detection of sub-surface cancer in humans. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.