Recent advances in single image super-resolution (SISR) demonstrate the power of deep learning for achieving better performance. Because it is costly to recollect the training data and retrain the model for infrared (IR) image super-resolution, the availability of only a few samples for restoring IR images presents an important challenge in the field of SISR. To solve this problem, we first propose the progressive super-resolution generative adversarial network (PSRGAN) that includes the main path and branch path. The depthwise residual block (DWRB) is used to represent the features of the IR image in the main path. Then, the novel shallow lightweight distillation residual block (SLDRB) is used to extract the features of the readily available visible image in the other path. Furthermore, inspired by transfer learning, we propose the multistage transfer learning strategy for bridging the gap between different high-dimensional feature spaces that can improve the PSGAN performance. Finally, quantitative and qualitative evaluations of two public datasets show that PSRGAN can achieve better results compared to the SR methods.

Infrared image super-resolution (IRSR) is challenging due to weak structures and textures. While Mamba-based state-space models (SSMs) efficiently model long-range dependencies, their inherent block-wise processing disrupts spatial consistency, limiting direct IRSR applicability. We propose IRSRMamba, a novel Mamba-based framework overcoming this limitation via tailored structural and textural preservation. Integrated into a Mamba backbone, our key innovations are: 1) Wavelet Transform Feature Modulation (WTFM), enhancing multi-scale frequency-aware feature extraction to mitigate block-induced coherence loss; and 2) an SSMs-based Semantic Consistency Loss, enforcing cross-block alignment to restore fragmented context. IRSRMamba achieves superior global-local fusion, structural coherence, and fine-detail preservation. Experiments show state-of-the-art PSNR, SSIM, and perceptual quality on IR benchmarks, as well as robust generalization to remote sensing. This work establishes Mamba-based architectures as highly promising for high-fidelity IR image enhancement. Code is available at https://github.com/yongsongH/IRSRMamba.

Image Super-Resolution (SR) is a fundamental task in computer vision and image processing. The challenge of super-resolving infrared (IR) or thermal images represents a key and persistent research frontier in the deep learning era. Different from visible-light SR, IRSR is challenged by the distinct properties of thermal images, which typically exhibit low contrast, limited high-frequency details, and sensor-specific noise. This survey provides a comprehensive review of Infrared Image Super-Resolution (IRSR), covering its applications, the inherent limitations of IR imaging hardware, and a detailed taxonomy of processing methodologies. In addition, we discuss the critical roles of datasets and evaluation metrics in the field. Finally, we highlight current technological gaps and identify promising future directions for the community. To keep pace with the rapid developments, we maintain an actively updated repository of relevant work at https://github.com/yongsongH/Infrared Image\_SR\_Survey.

The super-resolution generative adversarial network (SRGAN) is a seminal work that is capable of generating realistic textures during single image super-resolution. However, the hallucinated details are often accompanied by unpleasant artifacts. To further enhance the visual quality, we propose a deep learning method for single image super-resolution (SR). Our method directly learns an end-to-end mapping between the low/high-resolution images. The method is based on depthwise separable convolution super-resolution generative adversarial network (DSCSRGAN). A new depthwise separable convolution dense block (DSC Dense Block) was designed for the generator network, which improved the ability to represent and extract image features, while greatly reducing the total amount of parameters. For the discriminator network, the batch normalization (BN) layer was discarded, and the problem of artifacts was reduced. A frequency energy similarity loss function was designed to constrain the generator network to generate better super-resolution images. Experiments on several different datasets showed that the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) was improved by more than 3 dB, structural similarity index (SSIM) was increased by 16%, and the total parameter was reduced to 42.8% compared with the original model. Combining various objective indicators and subjective visual evaluation, the algorithm was shown to generate richer image details, clearer texture, and lower complexity.