Development and Demonstration of a Field-Deployable Fast Chromotomographic Imager (Paperback)

A field deployable hyperspectral imager utilizing chromotomography (CT), with a direct vision prism (DVP) as the dispersive element, has been constructed at AFIT. This research is focused on the construction and characterization of a CT imager as prototype for a follow on International Space Station based instrument. The instrument is currently the fastest known direct vision prism hyperspectral CT imager. The imager was capable of acquiring spectral data for a transient event lasting less than 0.12 s. The ability to identify potassium, sodium, and absorption features from the instrument's acquired data shows the potential this imager possess. This research has shown that the instrument has the ability to capture data of static scenes, and more importantly, the imager acquired spectral data for rapidly evolving scenes. Because CT imaging has the potential ability to capture spatial and spectral data from transient events, a space-based system may enhance current capabilities of identifying, classifying, and characterizing battlespace events such as artillery/AAA muzzle flashes, detonations, and missile launches.