Single-shot multispectral imaging with a monochromatic camera

Multispectral imaging plays an important role in many applications, from astronomical imaging and earth observation to biomedical imaging. However, current technologies are complex with multiple alignment-sensitive components and spatial and spectral parameters predetermined by manufacturers. Here, we demonstrate a single-shot multispectral imaging technique that gives flexibility to end users with a very simple optical setup, thanks to spatial correlation and spectral decorrelation of speckle patterns. These seemingly random speckle patterns are point spread functions (PSFs) generated by light from point sources propagating through a strongly scattering medium. The spatial correlation of PSFs allows image recovery with deconvolution techniques, while the spectral decorrelation allows them to play the role of tunable spectral filters in the deconvolution process. Our demonstrations utilizing optical physics of strongly scattering media and computational imaging present a cost-effective approach for multispectral imaging with many advantages. (C) 2017 Optical Society of America