An experimental validation of the Gauss-Markov model for nonuniformity noise in infrared focal plane array sensors

The aim of this research is to experimentally validate a Gauss-Markov model, previously developed by our group, for the non-uniformity parameters of infrared (IR) focal plane arrays (FPAs). The Gauss-Markov model assumed that both, the gain and the offset parameters at each detector, are random state-variables modeled by a recursive discrete-time process. For simplicity, however, we have regarded here the gain parameter as a constant and assumed that solely the offset parameter follows a Gauss-Markov model. Experiments have been conducted at room temperature and IR data was collected from black-body radiator sources using microbolometer-based IR cameras operating in the 8 to 12 μm. Next, well-known statistical techniques were used to analyze the offset time series and determinate whether the Gauss-Markov model truly fits the temporal dynamics of the offset. The validity of the Gauss-Markov model for the offset parameter was tested at two time scales: seconds and minutes. It is worth mentioning that the statistical analysis conducted in this work is a key in providing mechanisms for capturing the drift in the fixed pattern noise parameters.