Asymmetric imaging through engineered Janus particle obscurants using a Monte Carlo approach for highly asymmetric scattering media

Abstract The advancement of imaging systems has significantly ameliorated various technologies, including Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Systems and Guidance Systems, by enhancing target detection, recognition, identification, positioning, and tracking capabilities. These systems can be countered by deploying obscurants like smoke, dust, or fog to hinder visibility and communication. However, these counter-systems affect the visibility of both sides of the cloud. In this sense, this manuscript introduces a new concept of a smoke cloud composed of engineered Janus particles to conceal the target image on one side while providing clear vision from the other. The proposed method exploits the unique scattering properties of Janus particles, which selectively interact with photons from different directions to open up the possibility of asymmetric imaging. This approach employs a model that combines a genetic algorithm with Discrete Dipole Approximation to optimize the Janus particles' geometrical parameters for the desired scattering properties. Moreover, we propose a Monte Carlo-based approach to calculate the image formed as photons pass through the cloud, considering highly asymmetric particles, such as Janus particles. The effectiveness of the cloud in disguising a target is evaluated by calculating the Probability of Detection (PD) and the Probability of Identification (PID) based on the constructed image. The optimized Janus particles can produce a cloud where it is possible to identify a target more than 50% of the time from one side (PID > 50%) while the target is not detected more than 50% of the time from the other side (PD < 50%). The results demonstrate that the Janus particle-engineered smoke enables asymmetric imaging with simultaneous concealment from one side and clear visualization from the other. This research opens intriguing possibilities for modern obscurant design and imaging systems through highly asymmetric and inhomogeneous particles besides target detection and identification capabilities in challenging environments.