A snapshot hyperspectral imaging architecture is presented which forgoes time-based scanning through use of a sensor diode and liquid crystal arrays for amplitude modulation. Incident light is partitioned into discrete image pixels, frequency encoded, via projection onto spatial and spectral modulation liquid crystal arrays, with resultant sum and difference frequency components manifesting from optical mixing. A hyperspectral image is reconstructed by means of a Fourier analysis which uncovers the associated frequency components according to each pixel modulation frequency. The presented snapshot hyperspectral imaging architecture is investigated in terms of the optical geometry, theoretical and experimental operation, and substantiated via simulation.
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