Wide-field mid-infrared hyperspectral imaging beyond video rate

Jianan Fang; Kun Huang; Ruiyang Qin; Yan Liang; E Wu; Ming Yan; Heping Zeng

doi:10.1038/s41467-024-46274-z

Wide-field mid-infrared hyperspectral imaging beyond video rate

Nat Commun. 2024 Feb 28;15(1):1811. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46274-z.

Authors

Jianan Fang¹, Kun Huang^{2

3

4}, Ruiyang Qin¹, Yan Liang⁵, E Wu^{1

6}, Ming Yan^{1

6}, Heping Zeng^{7

8

9

10}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China. khuang@lps.ecnu.edu.cn.
³ Chongqing Key Laboratory of Precision Optics, Chongqing Institute of East China Normal University, Chongqing, 401121, China. khuang@lps.ecnu.edu.cn.
⁴ Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030006, China. khuang@lps.ecnu.edu.cn.
⁵ School of Optical Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200093, China.
⁶ Chongqing Key Laboratory of Precision Optics, Chongqing Institute of East China Normal University, Chongqing, 401121, China.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China. hpzeng@phy.ecnu.edu.cn.
⁸ Chongqing Key Laboratory of Precision Optics, Chongqing Institute of East China Normal University, Chongqing, 401121, China. hpzeng@phy.ecnu.edu.cn.
⁹ Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Sciences, Shanghai, 201315, China. hpzeng@phy.ecnu.edu.cn.
¹⁰ Chongqing Institute for Brain and Intelligence, Guangyang Bay Laboratory, Chongqing, 400064, China. hpzeng@phy.ecnu.edu.cn.

Abstract

Mid-infrared hyperspectral imaging has become an indispensable tool to spatially resolve chemical information in a wide variety of samples. However, acquiring three-dimensional data cubes is typically time-consuming due to the limited speed of raster scanning or wavelength tuning, which impedes real-time visualization with high spatial definition across broad spectral bands. Here, we devise and implement a high-speed, wide-field mid-infrared hyperspectral imaging system relying on broadband parametric upconversion of high-brightness supercontinuum illumination at the Fourier plane. The upconverted replica is spectrally decomposed by a rapid acousto-optic tunable filter, which records high-definition monochromatic images at a frame rate of 10 kHz based on a megapixel silicon camera. Consequently, the hyperspectral imager allows us to acquire 100 spectral bands over 2600-4085 cm^-1 in 10 ms, corresponding to a refreshing rate of 100 Hz. Moreover, the angular dependence of phase matching in the image upconversion is leveraged to realize snapshot operation with spatial multiplexing for multiple spectral channels, which may further boost the spectral imaging rate. The high acquisition rate, wide-field operation, and broadband spectral coverage could open new possibilities for high-throughput characterization of transient processes in material and life sciences.