Design Considerations and Experimental Results for Direct-Detection Spatial Tracking Systems

Abstract

The effect of signal and background shot noise, as well as device noise, on the performance of a direct-detection spatial tracking system is investigated for arbitrary detectors as a function of background radiation and detector radius is then analyzed and compared with some performance bounds. APD- and PIN-based tracking systems also are compared. The effects of non-focal-plane processing, focus error, and pupil walk on tracking performance are investigated. Experimental results of a 2.4-kHz two-axis tracking loop operating at low signal power using an APD quadrant detector are presented.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 04, 1989
Accession Number
ADA208258

Entities

People

  • Eric A. Swanson
  • James K. Roberge

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Amplifiers
  • Background Radiation
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Diffraction
  • Dynamic Range
  • Focal Planes
  • Frequency
  • Intensity
  • Lasers
  • Modulation
  • Phase Shift
  • Quadrants
  • Radiation
  • Shot Noise
  • Two Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Acoustics.
  • Radar Systems Engineering.