Validation of temperature imaging by H2O absorption spectroscopy using hyperspectral tomography in controlled experiments

This paper describes a preliminary demonstration and validation of temperature imaging using hyperspectral H2O absorption tomography in controlled experiments. Fifteen wavelengths are monitored on each of 30 laser beams to reconstruct the temperature image in a 381 mm x 381 mm square room-temperature plane that contains a 102 mm x 102 mm square zone of lower or higher temperature. The hyperspectral tomography technique attempts to leverage multispectral information to enhance measurement fidelity. The experimental temperature images exhibit average accuracies of 2.3% or better, with pixel-by-pixel standard deviations of less than 1%. In addition, even when the internal zone is only 4 K cooler than the surroundings, its presence is still detectable; statistical analysis of the associated experimental image reveals a 98% confidence that the internal zone is in fact cooler than the surroundings. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America