Estimating index of refraction for specular reflectors using passive polarimetric hyperspectral radiance measurements

Abstract

Abstract. Results of a method of estimating index of refraction from passive, polarimetric hyperspectral imaging radiance measurements are presented. As off-nadir viewing hyperspectral imaging platforms gain prominence, estimating index of refraction, which is invariant to viewing angle, may prove advantageous to estimating the emissivity, which is not. Results show that index of refraction can be retrieved to within 8% rms error for fused silica and sapphire glass targets, while simultaneously estimating object temperature. The accuracy and self-consistency of this technique for estimating index of refraction are shown to compare favorably to the maximum smoothness temperature-emissivity separation algorithm. Additionally, the results show that atmospheric downwelling radiance can also be accurately estimated, to within the noise of the instrument, concurrently with index of refraction.