Image quality, meteorological optical range, and fog particulate number evaluation using the Sandia National Laboratories fog chamber

Abstract

The evaluation of optical system performance in fog conditions typically requires field testing. This can be challenging due to the unpredictable nature of fog generation and the temporal and spatial nonuniformity of the phenomenon itself. We describe the Sandia National Laboratories fog chamber, a new test facility that enables the repeatable generation of fog within a 55 m×3 m×3 m (L×W×H) environment, and demonstrate the fog chamber through a series of optical tests. These tests are performed to evaluate system image quality, determine meteorological optical range (MOR), and measure the number of particles in the atmosphere. Relationships between typical optical quality metrics, MOR values, and total number of fog particles are described using the data obtained from the fog chamber and repeated over a series of three tests.