Spectral-Volumetric Compressed Ultrafast Photography Captures 5D Information
Researchers have used information-rich optical imaging to provide multidimensional information enabling observation and analysis of a detected target using spectral-volumetric compressed ultrafast photography. The special photography can simultaneously capture 5D information in a single snapshot.The technique can capture highly dynamic scenes on picosecond and femtosecond timescales. Researchers note that ultrafast multidimensional optical imaging has applications for the detection of extremely fast phenomena in physics, chemistry, and biology. Compressed ultrafast photography (CUP) is a research subject because of its high temporal resolution, high data throughput, and single-shot acquisition.
The technique has been used to study various ultrafast phenomena, including capturing ultrafast photons, observing optical Mach cone, and detecting optical chaotic dynamics. In many applications in studying ultrafast phenomena, spatial volumetric distribution and spectral composition of the dynamic scene are critical to observations of dynamic processes and exploring their potential mechanisms. Recently, researchers demonstrated a spectral volumetric CUP system able to capture 5D information in a single snapshot measurement.
The system combines time-of-flight CUP and hyperspectral CUP. The Time-of-flight CUP extracts spatial 3D information while the hyperspectral CUP records spatial-temporal-spectral 4D information. A full complement of 5D information is retrieved by coupling the time-of-flight CUP and hyperspectral CUP data according to a time-stamped relationship.
The system provides special resolutions of 0.39, 0.35, and 3 mm in X, Y, and Z directions. The system can also resolve a variety of 3D objects reliably and was demonstrated using a quantum-dot-coated 3D manikin. The field-of-view is 8.8mm x 6.3mm x 15mm and can be adjusted by replacing the tube lens according to the scene. Researchers say that combining computational imaging, compressed sensing, and image processing SV-CUP provides a new path for improved dimensionality in ultrafast optical imaging.