Push-broom Fourier transform spectrometer
AssigneeEagle Technology, LLC
InventorsPaul Maurer, Ronald J. Glumb, Peter Mantica
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and systems to record amplitudes of an interference pattern of a source light at successive rows of a focal plane array as an interferometer traverses the source light, while varying an optical path difference of the interferometer. A fixed frame rate of the focal plane array may be selected such that each in-track row of the focal plane array provides a different point along the interferogram, for the same ground location.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- an interferometer, including a focal plane array, to stare downwards at a surface comprising a source light,
- wherein the focal plane array records amplitudes of an interference pattern of the source light at successive rows of the focal plane array as the interferometer traverses the source light, and
- wherein the focal plane array has a fixed frame rate selected such that each in-track row of the focal plane array corresponds to a different point along an interferogram for the source light;
- and
- an optical path difference controller, coupled to the interferometer, configured to vary an optical path difference of the interferometer as the interferometer traverses the source light.
A method, comprising:
- recording amplitudes, by a focal plane array, of an interference pattern of a source light at successive rows of the focal plane array as an interferometer, positioned to stare downwards at a surface comprising the source light, traverses the source light, wherein the focal plane array has a fixed frame rate selected such that each in-track row of the focal plane array corresponds to a different point along the interferogram for the source light;
- and
- varying an optical path difference of the interferometer, by an optical path difference controller coupled to the interferometer, as the interferometer traverses the source light.
A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program that includes instructions to cause a processor to:
- control an optical path difference to generate an interference pattern of a source light, as an interferometer that stares downwards at a surface comprising a source light, traverses the source light;
- record amplitudes of the interference pattern of the source light at successive rows of a focal plane array as the interferometer traverses the source light, wherein the focal plane array has a fixed frame rate selected such that each in-track row of the focal plane array corresponds to a different point along the interferogram for the source light.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.