Experimental aspects of asynchronous rapid-scan fourier transform infrared imaging

In the asynchronous, rapid-scan approach to Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) imaging, data sampling is not correlated with the zero crossings of the interference fringes of the HeNe reference laser. The success of this data collection scheme depends on the reproducibility of the clock signals driving the interferometer mirror and focal plane array data collection. In previous studies, it was shown that this implementation provides for markedly faster data acquisition without sacrificing data quality, as compared with stepscan imaging. This approach to data collection introduces some unique peculiarities to the acquisition and processing of imaging data. The purpose of this paper is to address a few of these concerns in terms of their effect on final data quality. Also, the practical aspects of implementing such an acquisition scheme are described in detail.