Characterization of digital dispersive spectrometers by low coherence interferometry.

Area of Science:

• Spectroscopy
• Optical Engineering
• Computational Science

Background:

• Digital dispersive spectrometers require calibration for accurate spectral response.
• Existing methods often need prior knowledge of system parameters.
• Characterizing the full spectral response is crucial for precise measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a calibration-free procedure for determining the spectral response of digital dispersive spectrometers.
• To create a comprehensive characterization of spectrometer performance.
• To enable numerical improvement of spectrometer resolution.

Main Methods:

• Applying Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTS) to individual pixels of a CCD detector.
• Developing a response matrix that encapsulates the spectrometer's behavior.
• Utilizing the response matrix to analyze system-point spread function and pixel width effects.

Main Results:

• A novel procedure for full spectral response determination without prior system knowledge.
• Generation of a response matrix that uniquely characterizes the spectrometer.
• Demonstration of improved spectrometer resolution and predictive capabilities.

Conclusions:

• The proposed FTS-based pixel-level analysis offers a complete spectrometer characterization.
• This method accounts for system-point spread function and finite pixel width.
• The approach is broadly applicable to various spectroscopic fields, enhancing computational spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging.