PANORAMIC INFRARED-IMAGING SPECTRORADIOMETER MODEL WITH REVERSE PHASE-MODULATED BEAM BROADCASTING

The optical design of a passive remote sensor, a panoramic spectroradi ometer (PANSPEC), and its computer-simulated image performance are pre sented. PANSPEC monitors the surrounding infrared environment for chem ical clouds, detecting a presence once absorption or emission spectra characteristic of the chemical species are resolved. PANSPEC broadcast s chemical presence and cloud heading when equipped with a laser trans mitter that projects a polarized laser beam source with phase encrypti on back through the optical system into object space. Various merit fu nctions were programmed and accessed during computer optimization runs for shaping and positioning of the instrument's semishell entrance wi ndow, collector, collimator, interferometer, and imager. The result is a balanced near-diffraction-limited circular image, 6.3 mm across wit h 10-line pairs/mm spatial resolution at 50% modulation, and an f/2.3 working speed. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.