High-resolution hyperspectral imaging with cascaded liquid crystal cells

• DOI: 10.1364/optica.4.000400
• Publication Date: 2017-03-21T18:39:20Z
• Authors: Aurélie Jullien; Rémy Pascal; Umberto Bortolozzo; Nicolas Forget; Stefania Residori
• Keywords: Full spectral imaging; Spectral resolution; Robustness

Hyperspectral imaging collects knowledge about the spectral content enclosed in a given target. For such investigations, fundamental requirements include ability to extend range, improve resolution, and achieve large field of view together with compactness robustness. Here we introduce new method polarized hyperspectral that makes use two cascaded liquid crystal cells demonstrate act as Fourier spectrometer when appropriately driven dynamic voltage step. One thick cell (200 μm), electrically addressed, provides tunable path delay between polarization directions while thin static is used temporal offset. Prior imaging, an accurate calibration system performed by broadband interferometry femtosecond pulses. The procedure allows determining extraordinary ordinary waves subfemtosecond accuracy. Thanks this implementation, 130 cm−1 (6 nm) resolution demonstrated over 400–1000 nm range. Furthermore, device has no moving parts, compact, integrable, low cost compared traditional systems relying on spectrometry. Scalability size range can also be considered. Examples are three representative samples permitting evaluation potential technique terms its performances, compactness,