Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Infrared Degenerate Four-wave Mixing with Upconversion Detection for Quantitative Gas Sensing
Published on: March 22, 2019
Effective visibility in the infrared bands
Abstract:
Visibility is an atmospheric metric for the comparison of terrestrial imaging conditions and locations. A limitation of visibility is that it is defined for the visible spectrum only, and there is no simple infrared equivalent. This study compares three reflective infrared wavebands: near-IR (NIR), shortwave IR (SWIR), and extended shortwave IR (eSWIR), to the visible band across a global set of cities to develop three rule-of-thumb functions for IR effective visibility. To accomplish this, a radiometric sensor model is combined with the Laser Environmental Effects Definition and Reference (LEEDR) software package to calculate the visibility of a black-and-white contrast target through range. The resulting rule of thumb functions allow for rapid evaluation of infrared wavebands compared to the visible band across geographic regions, useful for trade studies when developing new imaging systems.
Related Concept Videos
Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy: Overview
Different compounds display unique properties due to their...
IR Spectrum Peak Intensity: Amount of IR-Active Bonds
IR Spectrum
Transmittance is defined as the ratio of the radiant power passing through a sample to that from the radiation's source. Multiplying the transmittance by 100 gives the percent transmittance (%T), which varies between 100% (no absorption) and 0% (complete...
IR Spectrometers
IR Frequency Region: Fingerprint Region
The...
Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) Infrared Spectroscopy: Overview
The ATR process begins by directing a beam...

