Passive imaging through dense scattering media

Abstract

Imaging through non-static and optically thick scattering media such as dense fog, heavy smoke, and turbid water is crucial in various applications. However, most existing methods rely on either active and coherent light illumination, or image priors, preventing their application in situations where only passive illumination is possible. In this study we present a universal passive method for imaging through dense scattering media that does not depend on any prior information. Combining the selection of small-angle components out of the incoming information-carrying scattering light and image enhancement algorithm that incorporates time-domain minimum filtering and denoising, we show that the proposed method can dramatically improve the signal-to-interference ratio and contrast of the raw camera image in outfield experiments.