Programmable Adaptive Spectral Imagers for Mission-Specific Application in Chemical/Biological Sensing

摘要

There is a long-standing need for standoff sensors capable to detect, identify and quantify chemical and biological warfare agents and other hazardous species. Currently dominant Fourier transform infrared spectrometers (FTIR) are based on interferometry, and are therefore mechanically complex, expensive, and susceptible to mechanical disturbances. Adaptive multispectral sensors, based on mathematical transforms other than Fourier's which do not require macroscopic moving parts to provide the same spectral multiplexing capability (Felgett's advantage) as FTIR instruments is described. The technology combines a unique on-the-fly spectral adaptability with data acquisition and processing speeds high above those of its FTIR counterparts. The transition from a traditional nonimaging sensor to a multispectral imaging spectrometer is conceptually and technologically simple with adaptive multispectral sensors.