System and method for hyperspectral imaging in highly scattering media by the spectral phasor approach using two filters

1. An imaging system comprising:

an excitation light source;

a directing element positioned to direct light from the excitation light source toward a sample;

a detector configured to measure incoming light from the sample;

a filter cavity positioned between the sample and the detector;

a first filter configured to be inserted into the filter cavity;

a second filter configured to be inserted into the filter cavity; and

a processing unit communicatively connected to the detector, configured to receive image data from the detector to form an image;

wherein the first filter is a linearly increasing transmission filter and the second filter is a linearly decreasing transmission filter.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the excitation light source is selected from the group consisting of: a Ti:Sa laser, a white laser, a widely tunable laser, a fiber laser, a tungsten lamp, and a white LED.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a light permeable media positioned between the sample and the filter cavity.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first filter is a plastic cyan transmission filter.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second filter is a plastic green transmission filter.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first filter and the second filter are provided on a rotating filter wheel having a filter space that is empty or has a transparent filter.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first filter and the second-filter are provided on a filter slide having a filter space that is empty or has a transparent filter.

8. The system of claim 1 , comprising three detectors, wherein a first detector is coupled to the first filter, a second detector is coupled to the second filter, and a third detector is coupled to a transparent filter or to no filter.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the detector has three detecting regions, a first region coupled to the first filter, a second region coupled to the second filter, and a third region coupled to a transparent filter or to no filter.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the imaging system is incorporated into a camera having the first filter, the second filter, and a transparent filter applied to separate regions of the detector.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a group velocity dispersion (GVD) compensator.

12. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an acoustic-optic modulator.

13. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an x-y galvanometric scanner.

14. An imaging system comprising:

an excitation light source;

a directing element positioned to direct light from the excitation light source toward a sample;

a detector configured to measure incoming light from the sample;

a filter cavity positioned between the sample and the detector;

a first filter configured to be inserted into the filter cavity;

a second filter configured to be inserted into the filter cavity;

a processing unit communicatively connected to the detector, configured to receive image data from the detector to form an image; and

a non-transitory computer-readable memory with instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processing unit, construct a hyperspectral image of a sample, the instructions comprising the steps of:

recording a light intensity as F 1 (λ) over a wavelength range while the first filter is positioned between the sample and the detector;

recording a light intensity as F 2 (λ) over the wavelength range while the second filter is positioned between the sample and the detector;

recording a total intensity as I(λ) over the wavelength range with no filter or a transparent filter positioned between the sample and the detector;

calculating a normalized transmission of the first filter;

calculating a normalized total intensity of transmission through the first filter;

calculating a spectral phasor coordinate of the normalized total intensity through the first filter;

calculating the normalized transmission of the second filter;

calculating the normalized total intensity of transmission through the second filter;

calculating the spectral phasor coordinate of the normalized total intensity through the second filter; and

generating a hyperspectral image of the sample based on the calculated spectral phasor coordinates.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first filter is a cosine filter and the second filter is a sine filter.

16. A method of constructing a hyperspectral image of a sample, comprising the steps of:

passing an excitation light source through a sample and through a first filter and recording, with a detector, a light intensity as F 1 (λ) over a wavelength range;

passing the excitation light source through the sample and through a second filter and recording, with the detector, a light intensity as F 2 (λ) over the wavelength range;

passing the excitation light source through the sample unfiltered and recording, with the detector, a total intensity as I(λ) over the wavelength range;

calculating a normalized transmission of the first filter;

calculating a normalized total intensity of transmission through the first filter;

calculating a spectral phasor coordinate of the normalized total intensity through the first filter;

calculating a normalized transmission of the second filter;

calculating a normalized total intensity of transmission through the second filter;

calculating a spectral phasor coordinate of the normalized total intensity through the second filter; and

generating a hyperspectral image of the sample based on the calculated spectral phasor coordinates.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the wavelength range is between 400 nm and 1000 nm.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising the steps of:

applying a first correction factor to the phase and amplitude of the normalized total intensity of transmission through the first filter; and

applying a second correction factor to the phase and amplitude of the normalized total intensity of transmission through the second filter.

19. A method of constructing a hyperspectral image of a sample, comprising the steps of:

passing an excitation light source through a sample and through a filter with linearly increasing transmission and recording, with a detector, a light intensity as F increase (λ) over a wavelength range;

passing the excitation light source through the sample and through a filter with linearly decreasing transmission and recording, with the detector, a light intensity as F decrease (λ) over the wavelength range;

calculating the channel ratio using a general polarization formula; and

generating a hyperspectral image of the sample based on the calculated channel ratio.