Ultraviolet-visible imaging acousto-optic tunable filters in KDP

There is a need to develop large-aperture acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTFs) in the UV region for applications in astronomy, environmental sciences, biology, etc. We have developed a high-quality noncollinear AOTF cell that uses a single crystal of KDP that has nearly a four times larger acousto-optic figure of merit, M2, than quartz. The linear and angular apertures of this cell are 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm and 1.2 degrees, respectively. The spectral range is 220-480 nm, with 160-cm(-1) spectral resolution and high transmission in the UV. We present an analysis of the design and describe the characterization results.     

Agile dual-channel spectral imaging with spectral zooming

A dual-channel spectral imaging system with agile spectral band access and spectral bandwidth tuning capability is presented. A diffractive grating and an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) are respectively used as spectral dispersion and spectral filtering elements for the two channels. A 4f spectral filtering channel using an adjustable slit is set up at the first diffraction order of the grating to realize coarse spectral band selection. The AOTF selectively filters the spectrum of the nondispersed zero order to realize fine spectral imaging. The spectral zooming function is achieved without increasing spectral frame number facilitating real-time spectral imaging operation. Feasibility of the spectral imaging has been demonstrated through preliminary experiments. Minimum 6 nm spectral resolution and 1.2 degrees field of view have been achieved. The real-time spectral imaging capable of wide spectral band operation without loosing desired fine spectral capability is particularly useful for a variety of defense, medical, and environmental monitoring applications.     

Spectral characterization of near-infrared acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) hyperspectral imaging systems using standard calibration materials

In this study, we propose and evaluate a method for spectral characterization of acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) hyperspectral imaging systems in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral region from 900 nm to 1700 nm. The proposed spectral characterization method is based on the SRM-2035 standard reference material, exhibiting distinct spectral features, which enables robust non-rigid matching of the acquired and reference spectra. The matching is performed by simultaneously optimizing the parameters of the AOTF tuning curve, spectral resolution, baseline, and multiplicative effects. In this way, the tuning curve (frequency-wavelength characteristics) and the corresponding spectral resolution of the AOTF hyperspectral imaging system can be characterized simultaneously. Also, the method enables simple spectral characterization of the entire imaging plane of hyperspectral imaging systems. The results indicate that the method is accurate and efficient and can easily be integrated with systems operating in diffuse reflection or transmission modes. Therefore, the proposed method is suitable for characterization, calibration, or validation of AOTF hyperspectral imaging systems.     

Design of a configurable multispectral imaging system based on an AOTF

In this paper, we present a configurable multispectral imaging system based on an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF). Typically, AOTFs are used to filter a single wavelength at a time, but thanks to the use of a versatile sweeping frequency generator implemented with a direct digital synthesizer, the imager may capture a configurable spectral range. Experimental results show a good spectral and imaging response of the system for spectral bandwidth up to a 50 nm.     

Investigation of magnesium fluoride crystals for imaging acousto-optic tunable filter applications

Results of an investigation of acousto-optic (AO) cells using single crystals of magnesium fluoride (MgF2) are presented. Two acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) cells for imaging application have been designed and tested in the visible and ultraviolet (UV) regions of the spectrum from 190 to 490 nm. The two imaging filters were developed by using the wide-angle AO interaction geometry in the (010) and (11 0) planes of the crystal. These filters were used to obtain spectral images at the shortest wavelengths achieved so far. Advantages and drawbacks of this crystal are discussed and photoelastic, acoustic, and AO properties of MgF2 are examined. The investigation confirmed that MgF2-based AOTF cells can be used in the deep UV region up to 110 nm.     

Acousto-optic imaging spectropolarimetry for remote sensing

We review the operating principles of noncollinear acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTF's), emphasizing the use of two orthogonally polarized beams for narrow-band imaging. Spectral characterization and spectral broadening measurements of commercially available AOTF's agree with theoretical predictions and reveal difficulties associated with imaging noncollimated light. An AOTF imaging spectropolarimeter for ground-based astronomy that uses CCD's has been constructed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. It uses a TeO(2) noncollinear AOTF and a simple optical relay assembly to produce side-by-side orthogonally polarized spectral images. We summarize the instrument design and initial performance tests. We include sample spectral images acquired at the Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory.     

Design and Characterization of an AOTF Hyper-Spectral Polarization Imaging System

The present paper describes a hyper-spectral polarization imaging system based on a non-collinear, acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) and a linear polarizer. The paper begins with an analysis of the equivalent relationship of the AOTF to describe the principle of polarization detection of this system. Appropriate parameters of hardware components are assigned later. This system, being electronically controllable and tunable, can not only ensure the precision of imaging but also obtain hyper-spectral polarization signatures. The prototype has two optional working modes, namely, hyper-spectral polarization imaging and hyper-spectral intensity imaging. Moreover, parameters of this system – such as diffraction efficiency, spectral resolution and modulation precision – are tested using a halogen tungsten lamp and an optical fibre spectrometer. The results indicate that this instrument is compact, vibration-insensitive, robust and precisely controllable. The system designed in this paper has further application in polarization detection techniques in military.     

Tunable acousto-optic spectral imager for atmospheric composition measurements in the visible spectral domain

We describe a new spectral imaging instrument using a TeO₂ acousto-optical tunable filter (AOTF) operating in the visible domain (450-900?nm). It allows for fast (～1 second), monochromatic (FWHM ranges from 0.6?nm at 450?nm to 3.5?nm at 800?nm) picture acquisition with good spatial resolution. This instrument was designed as a breadboard of the visible channel of a new satellite-borne atmospheric limb spectral imager, named the Atmospheric Limb Tracker for the Investigation of the Upcoming Stratosphere (ALTIUS), that is currently being developed. We tested its remote sensing capabilities by observing the dense, turbulent plume exhausted by a waste incinerator stack at two wavelengths sensitive to NO₂. An average value of 6.0±0.4×10¹⁷ molecules?cm^-2 has been obtained for the NO₂ slant column density within the plume, close to the stack outlet. Although this result was obtained with a rather low accuracy, it demonstrates the potential of spectral imaging by using AOTFs in remote sensing.     

Acousto-optic tunable filter imaging spectrometer with full Stokes polarimetric capability

Polarization is an important addition to spectral imaging in detecting and identifying objects of interest, and simple linear polarization measurements are often inadequate. Full polarization analysis can give additional information for discrimination where the polarization state is completely described by the Stokes parameters. An acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) imaging system was built incorporating two liquid-crystal variable retarders (LCVRs) that can provide complete spectral-polarimetric analysis, and it is believed to be the first demonstration of a full Stokes polarimetric AOTF spectral imaging system with no moving parts. It is also shown that a single LCVR cannot provide all the Stokes parameters.     

White-light imaging by use of a multiple passband acousto-optic tunable filter

White-light imaging was accomplished by operation of a TeO(2) acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) with 40 simultaneous overlapping passbands from 400 to 700 nm. The AOTF was chromatically compensated by a wedge applied to the output surface of the AOTF, and the measured spatial resolution correlated well with predictions. Switching off specific rf's applied to the AOTF produced optical rejection corresponding to the inactive passbands. A rejection ratio of 30 dB was demonstrated, and the rejection level was found to be controlled by leakage through the sidelobes of adjacent passbands.     

Spectral characterization and calibration of AOTF spectrometers and hyper-spectral imaging systems

The goal of this article is to present a novel method for spectral characterization and calibration of spectrometers and hyper-spectral imaging systems based on non-collinear acousto-optical tunable filters. The method characterizes the spectral tuning curve (frequency-wavelength characteristic) of the AOTF (Acousto-Optic Tunable Filter) filter by matching the acquired and modeled spectra of the HgAr calibration lamp, which emits line spectrum that can be well modeled via AOTF transfer function. In this way, not only tuning curve characterization and corresponding spectral calibration but also spectral resolution assessment is performed simultaneously over the whole imaging plane. The obtained results indicated that the proposed method is efficient, accurate and feasible for routine calibration of AOTF spectrometers and hyper-spectral imaging systems and thereby a highly competitive alternative to the existing calibration methods.     

Design of an infrared monochromatic system with an AOTF as the dispersion element

In this paper, a method on how to design an infrared monochromatic system based on an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) is introduced. Some key problems about optical system (including collimation of incident light beam and working distance-the shortest distance to separate the zero order light and the diffracted light) are researched and solved. The driving circuit for an AOTF based on Direct Digital Synthesis and a Digital Signal Processor is also introduced. The experimental results show a direct proportional relationship between the wave number of diffracted light and the driving frequency. The monochromatic system has a wave number range of 2000-4000 cm(-1) and the spectral half-width is 20 cm(-1).     

Multispectral imaging microscope with millisecond time resolution

A new multispectral imaging microscope with micrometer spatial resolution and millisecond temporal resolution has been developed. The imaging microscope is based on the use of an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) for spectral tuning and a progressive scan camera capable of snapshot operation for recording. It can operate in two modes: images are recorded as a function of time or wavelength. When operated as a function of time, the microscope is configured so that as many images as possible are recorded, grabbed, and stored per one wavelength. Upon completion, the AOTF is scanned to a new wavelength, and a new set of images are recorded. Up to 33 images/ second (i.e., 30 ms/image) can be recorded in this mode. In the other configuration, the recording wavelength is rapidly scanned (by means of the AOTF) and only one image is rapidly recorded, grabbed, and stored for each wavelength. Because additional time is needed to scan the AOTF, the maximum number of images can be grabbed in this case is 16 frames/s. Preliminary applications of the imaging microscope include measurements of photoinduced changes of a single unit cell in temperature-sensitive cholesteric liquid crystals as a function of time and wavelength. The changes were found to be varied with time and wavelength. Interestingly, the photoinduced changes of unit cells in the liquid crystal are not the same but different from cell to cell. This imaging microscope is particularly useful for measurements of small-size samples that undergo rapid chemical or biochemical reactions, e.g., activities of a single biological cell.     

Spectral characterization of integrated acousto-optic tunable filters by means of laser frequency modulation spectroscopy

The spectral characteristics of an integrated acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) as well as its responsivity to the rf driving signal and sensitivity to temperature changes are experimentally investigated and quantified using a diode-laser-based interrogation system. A spectroscopic technique, exploiting the rf frequency modulation of the laser beam and the phase-sensitive detection of the AOTF transmission, has been used for this purpose. That allows for the generation of a dispersivelike signal, which serves as a reference for tracking any wavelength change of the filter's peak with high resolution. The possibility of using the integrated AOTF as a spectrum analyzer with this interrogation scheme for fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensing is also discussed.     

Acousto-optic tunable filter sidelobe analysis and reduction with telecentric confocal optics

The acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) has optical sidelobes that are due to the acoustic field produced by the transducer. These sidelobes were analyzed by wave-vector phase matching between the optical and acoustic fields, which correlated with measurements made with a TeO2 AOTF. A white-light point source was filtered and imaged, showing reasonably large and slowly decreasing sidelobes covering a large spectral range. This effect reduces the image quality of an AOTF system by producing faint secondary images of bright objects. The image quality can be improved with a telecentric confocal optical arrangement in which the angular shift of the sidelobes is greatly reduced, producing a much sharper image. This effect was also demonstrated experimentally with the point source.     

Development of an all-sky-scanning spectroradiometer with a visible diode array and a near-infrared acousto-optic tunable filter

A sky scanner was developed that collects spectral radiance data over the wavelength range 390-1732 nm by use of two radiometers, the first being a monochromator with a 512-element silicon diode array and the second being a near-infrared acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) coupled to an InGaAs detector. The scanner is capable of completing a set of spectral radiance measurements at 146 points in the sky hemisphere in a period of less than 4 min.     

Image processing method to improve AOTF spectral resolution and spatial resolution

Abstract

An acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) causes the diffracted angle and wavelength to spread, leading to loss of resolution. The light intensity detected by a CCD pixel equals the true intensity plus the stray light caused by the spread of the wavelength and diffraction angle. Here, the true intensity is obtained using neighbourhood estimate recursive correction iteration, improving the spectral and spatial resolution. The spread of acoustic wave angles caused by diffraction is analysed. The reason for the spreads is analysed and derived. A method is reported for measuring the correspondence between the wavelength and diffraction angle spread, using an AOTF, an angle measurement spectrometer and a fibre spectrometer. The iterations’ stop condition is analysed. The improved theory is verified by an AOTF spectral imaging experiment.     

Spectral characterization of acousto-optic filters used in imaging spectroscopy

The purpose of this investigation is to improve the study of the characteristics of noncollinear acoustooptic tunable filters (AOTFs) used in imaging spectroscopy. Three filters were characterized and the results compared with tuning models to verify that device operation can be reliably predicted in advance. All these devices use tellurium dioxide as the interaction medium and have large geometric apertures for spectroscopic imaging applications in the spectral range 0.5-3.5 microm. The device characteristics that we studied were compared with the results of AOTF models, and the spectral and angular dependence of acoustic frequency and bandpass width for both output polarization states were confirmed by measurements. One of the AOTFs was used as a dispersive element coupled to external imaging optics. We summarize measurements of the basic spectral and imaging characteristics in this configuration.     

Deconvolution in acousto-optical tunable filter spectrometry

Spectrometers and spectral imaging systems based on the acousto-optical tunable filter (AOTF) are becoming commonly used in many different fields in which high spectral resolution is crucial, e.g., laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and absorption spectroscopy of gases. As AOTFs have many advantages over other spectroscopic instruments but lack spectral resolution, a procedure for resolution enhancement, composed of point spread function characterization and spectrum preprocessing and deconvolution, is proposed. Wiener, Fourier-wavelet regularized (ForWaRD), Richardson-Lucy, and Wavelet-Lucy deconvolution methods were tested and their performances assessed with two deconvolution quality measures: resolution enhancement and noise amplification. It was shown that the proposed spectral resolution enhancement is feasible and gives good results for line spectra and highly dynamic spectra.     

Imaging acousto-optic tunable filter with 0.35-micrometer spatial resolution

Image blur in acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTF's) has been a persistent problem. Here we describe the connection between transducer structure and image blur and experimentally measure it by using a 5-cm 12°-cut TeO(2) crystal of our design. With these quantitative results, we develop an image-processing method that minimizes AOTF-related image degradation. The combination of long crystal design and image processing results in substantially improved image contrast and spatial resolution relative to conventional AOTF imaging devices. We present high-magnification images of fluorescent actin fibers in cells in which we obtain a resolution of approximately 0.35 μm, representing the first successful use of an AOTF for ultra-high-resolution microscopy. Further improvements are also predicted.