Spectral Imaging: Methods, Design, and Applications - Biomedical Optical Imaging Technologies: Design and Applications - page 110

Chapter 4
Spectral Imaging: Methods, Design,
and Applications

Yuval Garini and Elad Tauber

Spectral imaging is a relatively new field in which the advantages of optical
spectroscopy as an analytical tool are combined with the power of object visual-
ization as obtained by optical imaging; it creates a three-dimensional data set that
contains many images of the same object, where each one of them is measured
at a different wavelength. Biomedical applications typically require collection of
complex information from tissues with minimal invasion and risk at shorter times
and lower costs. This chapter will discuss the principles of spectral imaging, various
optical designs, and spectral imaging analysis, while a few of the algorithms will be
discussed with emphasis on the usage for different experimental modes. Different
methods used for spectral imaging systems will be described as well as their
advantages, limitations, and possible applications. In addition, the conceptual parts
of a spectral imaging system will be described combined with brief description of
the major biomedical applications.

4.1 Introduction

Almost anyone who has the pleasure to experience the marvel of light that is
diffracted through a prism to a magnificent set of colors wonders what their
source is. This type of experience almost perfectly defines the science of spec-
troscopy, the study of the interaction of light and matter through the colors, or
wavelength to be more exact.
Spectroscopy is an old science being used for decades now, to understand the
nature of substances, the composition of materials, and the nature of light. It can be
found as part of the study of the early days of the universe, through the diagnostic

Y. G a r i n i ( ) E. Tauber
Physics Department and Nanotechnology Institute, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
e-mail: [e-mail]