Offner imaging spectrometers

Abstract

A hyperspectral sensor or imaging spectrometer is a device that collects spatial and spectral information in hundreds of contiguous and closely spectral bands. Hyperspectral imagers have many applications in several areas such as agriculture, geology, oceanography, forestry, medicine, colorimetry, security, military and others. Most of the existing hyperspectral systems were developed considering satellite or high altitude flying aircrafts applications. However, the specific development of these technologies allows their use in many other less expensive applications. In this context, the work presented in this thesis allows building high quality and low cost Offner imaging spectrometers. Rapid and efficient methods were used for the design, assembly and characterization of this type of spectrometers. Two laboratory setups developed from analytical model-based designs have been assembled showing high spectral and spatial resolutions and low distortions without specific aberrations corrected gratings nor non-spherical elements.