The seeker imaging system is crucial for missile detection and guidance, operating in dynamically complex environments. During missile flight, significant decreases in altitude and increases in speed induce large-scale and dynamic aerodynamic thermal aberrations that degrade imaging quality. Traditional correction methods, including adaptive optics and image processing, have limitations in real-time correction under such dynamic conditions. To address these challenges, we leverage wavefront coding technology to propose an innovative correction method for multi-environment dynamic aerodynamic thermal aberrations. This research aims to mitigate dynamic aberrations efficiently, enhancing imaging quality and reliability in challenging scenarios.

We begin with simulations of aerodynamic thermal effects on sapphire hemispherical optical domes under varying flight conditions. Eight unique scenarios are generated, including altitudes of 10 km and 5 km, and Mach number ranging from 1.5 to 3.0. Dynamic deformation patterns [Fig. 1(a)] and their impacts on imaging quality are analyzed. The deformation is characterized as primarily defocus-related, and its severity increases with increasing speed and decreasing altitude. A wavefront coding system is designed using a cubic phase plate optimized for modulation transfer function (MTF) consistency (Fig. 6). The encoded system is evaluated across environments (Figs. 7 and 8), demonstrating reduced sensitivity to dynamic defocus aberrations but revealing limitations in maintaining point spread function (PSF) consistency. To address this, a synthetic PSF is constructed by weighting PSFs from multiple scenarios. Genetic algorithms are employed to optimize the weights and related deconvolution parameters. The fitness function combines peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index measure (SSIM) with constraints on weight sum normalization. The decoding algorithm utilizes Wiener filtering based on the optimized synthetic PSF. Experiments simulate imaging across the eight scenarios, comparing original blurred images, encoded images, traditional decoded images, and synthetic PSF decoded images (Figs. 10 and 11).

The results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively addresses challenges of dynamic aerodynamic thermal aberration correction. The wavefront coding system, optimized for MTF consistency, significantly mitigates defocus-related aberrations caused by dynamic aerodynamic conditions. However, the initial coding method reveals limitations in maintaining PSF consistency under extreme conditions. To overcome this, a synthetic PSF is constructed by weighting PSFs from multiple flight scenarios, and genetic algorithms are employed to optimize the weights and related deconvolution parameters. The optimized system achieves notable improvements in image quality, with the decoded images attaining an average PSNR of 25.375 dB and SSIM of 0.7546, representing increases of 15.11% and 34.77%, respectively, compared to traditional decoding methods. The synthetic PSF decoding method effectively eliminates ringing artifacts and ensures high-quality reconstruction across diverse flight conditions, particularly in challenging low-altitude, high-speed scenarios. These improvements are evident in the visual comparisons (Figs. 10 and 11), where the decoded images retain clarity and reveal fine details, such as aircraft outlines, even in zoomed regions. The method’s robustness and adaptability across multi-environment scenarios highlight its potential to enhance imaging system reliability and performance in dynamic aerodynamic environments.

We propose a wavefront coding-based correction method for dynamic aerodynamic thermal aberrations in infrared seeker systems. By simulating sapphire hemispherical optical domes under various flight conditions, the method addresses significant challenges posed by dynamic defocus aberrations. Key innovations include the use of MTF-consistent cubic phase plates and synthetic PSF decoding optimized via genetic algorithms. The proposed method enhances imaging quality, evidenced by notable improvements in PSNR and SSIM and the elimination of visual artifacts. This method demonstrates high efficiency and reliability, meeting the stringent requirements of dynamic missile environments. It offers valuable insights for advanced imaging systems, particularly in high-speed, variable-altitude operations, and holds significant potential for broader aerospace and defense applications.