Semiconductor Physics, Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics, 29 (2), P. 211-218 (2026).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15407/spqeo29.02.211
Characterisation of detection conditions of concealed surveillance optical systems using laser-assisted cat-eye effect
Institute of Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine Abstract.
Detection of concealed remote optical surveillance systems has become a critical issue due to ease of deployment of such systems and their ability to transmit video signals with minimal effort. This work investigates feasibility of using an active laser detection system to detect optoelectronic surveillance devices under challenging conditions, including bright daylight. The detection system is based on laser light retroreflection (the cat-eye effect), which enhances the detection efficiency due to strong back-reflection of the laser beam from optical components of the observed devices. Typical apertures of the surveillance systems such as smartphone cameras with diameters up to 2 mm and photographic lenses with diameters up to 20 mm are analyzed. Maximum detection ranges for different power levels of the active laser system are evaluated. The numerical modeling results have shown strong agreement with experimental measurements on real atmospheric paths up to 200 m. The findings confirm practical potential of active laser detection as an effective and robust method for counter-surveillance applications.
Keywords: retroreflection, smartphone cameras, photographic lenses, detection ranges, active laser detection system.
L.A. Derzhypolska, Y.P. Sharlovych, A.G. Derzhypolskyi, S.V. Khodakovskyi, A.M. Negriyko
Corresponding author e-mail: d.liudmyl.flla@gmail.com
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.