Demonstration of a computed-tomography imaging spectrometer using a computer-generated hologram disperser

We have constructed a computed-tomography imaging spectrometer that uses a phase-only computer-generated hologram (CGH) array illuminator as the disperser. This imaging spectrometer collects multiplexed spatial and spectral data simultaneously and can be used for flash spectral imaging. The CGH disperser has been designed to maintain nearly equal spectral diffraction efficiency among a 5 x 5 array of diffraction orders and to minimize diffraction efficiency into higher orders. Reconstruction of the (x, y, lambda) image cube from the raw, two-dimensional data is achieved by computed-tomography techniques. The reconstructed image and spectral-signature data compare favorably with measurements by other spectrometric methods. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.