Influence of Atmospheric Turbulence on LIDAR Performance

In the interference analysis of LIDAR system, atmospheric turbulence model is indispensable. To improve the accuracy of atmospheric effects in the LADAR simulator, Exponential Weibull model is adopted to calculate atmospheric turbulence, achieving a physically-based simulation of a LADAR system integrated with quantitative atmospheric turbulence. The feasibility of the proposed method is verified by comparing simulated and field data. To evaluate LIDAR performance in complex environments, the method of analyzing the system performance based on a general simulation framework is proposed. A general and systematic physically reasonable imaging LADAR simulation model combining "laser - target - atmosphere - LADAR imaging" is achieved for assessment of LADAR imaging system. Experimental results show that the turbulence can cause energy dispersion, leading to the detection of false alarm.