Diffuse reflectance imaging with astronomical applications

Samuel W. Hasinoff, Anat Levin, Philip R. Goode, William T. Freeman

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Diffuse objects generally tell us little about the surrounding lighting, since the radiance they reflect blurs together incident lighting from many directions. In this paper we discuss how occlusion geometry can help invert diffuse reflectance to recover lighting or surface albedo. Self-occlusion in the scene can be regarded as a form of coding, creating high frequencies that improve the conditioning of diffuse light transport. Our analysis builds on a basic observation that diffuse reflectors with sufficiently detailed geometry can fully resolve the incident lighting. Using a Bayesian framework, we propose a novel reconstruction method based on high-resolution photography, taking advantage of visibility changes near occlusion boundaries. We also explore the limits of single-pixel observations as the diffuse reflector (and potentially the lighting) vary over time. Diffuse reflectance imaging is particularly relevant for astronomy applications, where diffuse reflectors arise naturally but the incident lighting and camera position cannot be controlled. To test our approaches, we first study the feasibility of using the moon as a diffuse reflector to observe the earth as seen from space. Next we present a reconstruction of Mars using historical photometry measurements not previously used for this purpose. As our results suggest, diffuse reflectance imaging expands our notion of what can qualify as a camera.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2011 International Conference on Computer Vision, ICCV 2011
Pages185-192
Number of pages8
DOIs
StatePublished - 2011
Event2011 IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision, ICCV 2011 - Barcelona, Spain
Duration: Nov 6 2011Nov 13 2011

Publication series

NameProceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision

Conference

Conference2011 IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision, ICCV 2011
Country/TerritorySpain
CityBarcelona
Period11/6/1111/13/11

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Software
  • Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition

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