Stray light characterization in a high-resolution imaging spectrometer designed for solar-induced fluorescence

Published

April 22, 2021

Author(s)

David W. Allen, Loren Albert, James Kellner, Yuqin Zong, Katherine Cushman, Luis Alonso

Abstract

New commercial-off-the-shelf imaging spectrometers promise the combination of high spatial and spectral resolution needed to retrieve solar induced fluorescence (SIF), an emission of light from chlorophyll in plants that can be used to study photosynthesis. Imaging at multiple wavelengths for individual plants and even individual leaves from low-altitude airborne or ground-based platforms has applications ranging from agriculture to forest ecology. Data from these instruments could provide insight into the status of the photosynthetic apparatus at scales of space and time not observable from high-altitude and space-based platforms and could support calibration and validation activities of current and forthcoming space missions to quantify SIF (OCO-2, OCO-3, FLEX, and GEOCARB). High-spectral resolution enables SIF retrieval from regions of strong telluric absorption by molecular oxygen, and also within numerous solar Fraunhofer lines in atmospheric windows not obscured by oxygen or water absorptions. SIF signal is small, (generally less than 5 % of vegetation reflectance), so instrument characterization is vital for interpreting the measurements made across ranges of conditions and different platforms. Here we characterize stray light and spectral sampling interval for a commercial- off-the-shelf diffraction-grating imaging spectrometer with a spectral sampling interval of 0.05 nm and a full width at half maximum (FWHM) bandpass < 0.2 nm throughout the 670 to 780 nm range.

Proceedings Title

Algorithms, Technologies, and Applications for Multispectral and Hyperspectral Imagery XXV

Conference Dates

April 15-19, 2019

Conference Location

Baltimore, MD

Conference Title

SPIE Defense and Commercial Sensing

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

Remote sensing, chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthesis, vegetation, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

Citation

Griffith, D. , Albert, L. , Kellner, J. , Zong, Y. , Cushman, K. and Alonso, L. (2021), Stray light characterization in a high-resolution imaging spectrometer designed for solar-induced fluorescence, Algorithms, Technologies, and Applications for Multispectral and Hyperspectral Imagery XXV, Baltimore, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=927861 (Accessed October 9, 2025)