Sub-Quantum Accuracy Of An Infra-Red Data-Gathering Sensor By Frame Integration
Denis Rozenbaum · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 1989
Successive digitized measurements of constant data fluctuate over several quantum cells because of the presence of additive noise. This dispersion allows the achievement of a subquantum accuracy by signal averaging of a large number of measurements. This processing is of particular interest for infra-red signals, characterized by a wide dynamic range. This work analyses the relation between the expectation of the digital measurement and the expectation of the real (analog) value, as a function of the statistical characteristics of the noise in the signal. It is shown that sub-quantum precision can be obtained under certain conditions. Practical considerations regarding the achievable accuracy, digitization depth, measuring the noise statistics and limits of the linear subquantum interpolation are given. A practical method for measuring noise in the signal is described.