The sharp retroreflective peak that is commonly exhibited in the bidirectional reflectivity distribution function of diffuse
surfaces was investigated for several materials relevant to ladar applications. The accurate prediction of target cross-sections
requires target surface BRDF measurements in the vicinity of this peak. Measurements were made using the
beamsplitter-based scatterometer at the U.S. Army's Advanced Measurements Optical Range (AMOR) at Redstone
Arsenal, Alabama. Co-polarized and cross-polarized BRDF values at 532 nm and 1064 nm were obtained as the bistatic
angle was varied for several degrees about, and including, the monostatic point with a resolution of better than 2 mrad.
Measurements covered a wide range of incidence angles. Materials measured included polyurethane coated nylons
(PCNs), Spectralon, a silica phenolic, and various paints. For the co-polarized case, a retroreflective peak was found to
be nearly ubiquitous for high albedo materials, with relative heights as great as 1.7 times the region surrounding the
peak and half-widths between 0.11° and 1.3°. The shape of the observed peaks very closely matched coherent
backscattering theory, though the phenomena observed could not be positively attributed to coherent backscattering or
shadow hiding alone. Several data features were noted that may be of relevance to modelers of these phenomena,
including the fact that the widths of the peaks were approximately the same for 532 nm as for 1064 nm and an
observation that at large incidence angles, the width of the peak usually broadened in the in-plane bistatic direction.
Bidirectional reflectivity distribution function (BRDF) measurement results are reported for the monostatic case and for
small bistatic angles for several low-scatter diffuse materials illuminated at the 1.064 &mgr;m and 532 nm wavelengths.
Materials such as ESLI Vel-Black, Edmund Scientific flocked paper, and 2% Spectralon were measured. All materials
were measured using both co-polarized and cross-polarized transmit-receive configurations. The MRDF/BRDF
scatterometer at the Advanced Measurements Optical Range (AMOR) at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama was
used for these measurements and is described here; this beamsplitter-based system can make BRDF measurements with
incidence angles from 0 to 80° and with in-plane and out-of-plane bistatic angles from + 3.5° through -3.5°, including
the monostatic point.
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