Estimation of the Structure of Free Space in an Aerosol Cloud

The increasing role of high-precision weapons (HPW) in the weapons system of foreign countries means the need to improve the means and methods of complex camouflage of troops, an integral part of which is the use of aerosols. The article is a continuation of research on the assessment of the effectiveness of camouflage of objects with aerosols based on the calculation of the proportion of space hidden (screened) by aerosol particles for the free passage of visible light carrying information about the object and the surrounding background. According to the authors, when recognizing an object through a moving aerosol structure, in addition to the proportion of free space, its structure also influences camouflage, namely the size of the cells from minimum to maximum, which together make up this space.

The purpose of the work is to assess a new camouflage factor, that is, the nature of the distribution in an aerosol cloud of the structure of free space depending on the density of the aerosol (integral concentration, g/m2) along the line of sight (observation) and the size of its particles, μm.

Research method. Theoretical modeling of the passage of light through an aerosol cloud using a PC.

Discussion. The calculations performed on a PC show the existence of a probabilistic distribution of free space cells by their size (size and area), which make up the total value of free space, previously estimated by us as a whole. The unevenness of the cell size is due to turbulence of the surface air layer with aerosol distributed in it. The calculations showed that the cell size is extremely small: no more than 100 μm.

Conclusion. The small size of the cells and their dynamic distribution in space during the propagation of the aerosol cloud can be considered in mathematical terms as an additional term of the probability of camouflage, due to the non-perception (non-distinction) of the camouflaged objects. The term is new and, perhaps, requires clarification, both theoretically and during experiments in an aerosol chamber. But its meaning lies in the existence of a minimum limiting solid angle of difference (perception) by the human eye of pixels of visible information through the moving structure of an aerosol cloud at a certain observation range.

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