High-performance hyperspectral imaging using virtual slit optics

The High Throughput Virtual Slit (or HTVS) is a new optical technology which can significantly increase the throughput and resolution of a dispersive spectrometer. The HTVS is able to preserve spectrometer etendue, mitigating photon losses normally associated with a slit. Originally implemented in multimode fiber-input spectrometers, HTVS has now been shown to be broadly applicable to a wide variety of spatially scanning hyperspectral imagers and standoff sensors, enhancing their performance and unlocking new application areas. In essence, the anamorphic elements of the HTVS optical system provide a means to decouple the spatial (iFOV) and spectral resolution of nearly any HSI system. In some scenarios, HTVS can be used to achieve better spectral resolution with the same input slit width. Alternatively, the slit can be widened (to increase the collected signal) while maintaining the same spectral resolution. This newfound flexibility in optimizing critical performance parameters not only improves the performance of HSI systems in existing remote sensing contexts, but also opens up numerous new application areas which were previously inaccessible to hyperspectral techniques. This method adds substantial value to existing HSI designs, particularly in applications involving targets with large spatial extent and requiring high spectral resolution (e.g. standoff Raman spectroscopy). We present recent experimental results from our prototype HTVS pushbroom imager and discuss case studies of standoff Raman detection of hazardous materials, passive detection of faint narrowband and monochromatic sources, and optimal disentangling of target spectral signatures from the solar spectrum under daytime illumination.