Surface Optics Corporation Presents at the 13th International IR Target and Background Modeling & Simulation Workshop

San Diego, CA, June 18, 2018 --(PR.com)-- Dr. James Jafolla, President of Surface Optics Corporation, presented at the 13th International IR Target and Background Modeling & Simulation Workshop (ITBMS) convened in Banyuls-sur-mer, France. The ITBMS workshop is a forum for the IR modeling and simulation community to discuss current developments in their field of expertise. Dr. Jafolla’s presentation was titled, “The Prediction and Measurement of the Optical Properties of Complex Surfaces.”

“Determining the optical properties of complex surfaces for signature analysis can be problematic,” said Dr. Jafolla. “Materials with surface structures such as crinkled or patterned foil appliques, striated or ribbed surfaces will produce a non-isotropic BRDF, which can be difficult to measure and represent in signature models.”

The presentation described analytical approaches to optical property prediction using a ray tracing algorithm and faceted model of the surface structure, materials and bulk optical properties. The presentation also discussed potential parameterized approaches for inclusion in signature models and a comparison to measurements from the SOC-210 BDR Bidirectional Reflectometer. The SOC-210 BDR Bidirectional Reflectometer is a precision laboratory instrument designed for mapping bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDF) of surfaces, paints, coatings, liquids, and particles.

The ITBMS 2018 workshop ran from June 11-14 and was co-organized by ONERA, The French Aerospace Lab and Fraunhofer IOSB Fraunhofer (Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation).

Dr. Jafolla received his Ph.D. from the Department of Physics and Atmospheric Sciences at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. He has extensive experience in the application of light scattering techniques to materials and surfaces for engineering problems concerning controlled emissivity surfaces. As the Director of Target Technologies at Photon Research Associates, he developed the Coatings Reflectance Engineering Evaluation Program (CREEP) for performing light scattering analysis of pigmented paint coatings and composite surfaces and was the Director of IR/EO Materials Technology at McDonnell Douglas Technologies, Inc. In 1990, Dr. Jafolla joined Surface Optics Corporation as Chief Scientist, where he continued his research into the light scattering properties of materials, including the analysis of Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF), Directional Hemispherical Reflectance (DHR), and the effects of enhanced retro-reflectance.