Fast iterative adaptive nonuniformity correction with gradient minimization for infrared focal plane arrays

•Iterative adaptive scene-based nonuniformity correction method is proposed.•L0 gradient minimization is introduced for correction parameters estimation.•It makes a good balance between nonuniformity correction and details preservation.•Enhanced results are produced at a fast convergence rate with few ghosting artifacts.

A fast scene-based nonuniformity correction algorithm is proposed for fixed-pattern noise removal in infrared focal plane array imagery. Based on minimization of L0 gradient of the estimated irradiance, the correction function is optimized through correction parameters estimation via iterative optimization strategy. When applied to different real IR data, the proposed method provides enhanced results with good visual effect, making a good balance between nonuniformity correction and details preservation. Comparing with other excellent approaches, this algorithm can accurately estimate the irradiance rapidly with fewer ghosting artifacts.