Abstract: An optical spectrometer uses broadband radiation detectors to measure thermal radiation generated by the varied heating of an object without complex mechanical mechanisms, narrowband filters, or the like. The received thermal radiation is used to deduce spectral qualities of either the thermal radiation emitter or a second object reflecting or transmitting this thermal radiation.

Abstract: An optical spectrometer uses broadband radiation detectors to measure thermal radiation generated by the varied heating of an object without complex mechanical mechanisms, narrowband filters, or the like. The received thermal radiation is used to deduce spectral qualities of either the thermal radiation emitter or a second object reflecting or transmitting this thermal radiation.

Abstract: A method for forming a crystalline material having an anisotropic, quasi-one-dimensional crystal structure is disclosed. In various embodiments, the method includes: mixing a plurality of precursor materials together to form a combined precursor material, the plurality of precursor materials including a transition-metal ion or a main group ion and at least one of an alkaline earth ion or an alkali metal ion; and reacting the combined precursor material to obtain the crystalline material, the crystalline material having a formula ABX3, wherein A is the at least one of the alkaline earth ion or the alkali metal ion and B is the transition-metal ion surrounded by six anions (X), and wherein the quasi-one-dimensional anisotropic crystal provides a birefringence of at least 0.03, defined as the absolute difference in the real part of the complex-refractive-index values along different crystal axes, in at least a portion of one or N both of the visible-wave spectrum or the infrared spectrum.

Abstract: The functional effect of having additional color-sensing cone types in the human eye is implemented by an encoding of some spectral information differently for the left and right eyes. This different encoding for identical features seen by the left and right eyes is interpreted as a perceptively different feature by the human brain, allowing additional spectral information to be conveyed through the limited tristimulus sensitivity of the human eye.

Abstract: A spectral encoder includes a thin layer of lossy dielectric material whose thickness varies transversely from 0 to a thickness of about ?/4n (e.g., <100 nm), where ? is the wavelength of incident radiation and n is the dielectric material's refractive index. The dielectric layer reflects (and/or transmits) light at a wavelength that depends on the layer's thickness. Because the dielectric layer's thickness varies, different parts of the dielectric layer may reflect (transmit) light at different wavelengths. For instance, shining white light on a dielectric layer with a linearly varying thickness may produce a rainbow-like reflected (and/or transmitted) beam. Thus, the spectral encoder maps different wavelengths to different points in space. This mapping can be characterized by a transfer matrix which can be used to determine the spectrum of radiation incident on the spectral encoder from the spatial intensity distribution of the radiation reflected (and/or transmitted) by the spectral encoder.

Abstract: The functional effect of having additional color-sensing cone types in the human eye is implemented by an encoding of some spectral information differently for the left and right eyes. This different encoding for identical features seen by the left and right eyes is interpreted as a perceptively different feature by the human brain, allowing additional spectral information to be conveyed through the limited tristimulus sensitivity of the human eye.

Abstract: A spectral encoder includes a thin layer of lossy dielectric material whose thickness varies transversely from 0 to a thickness of about ?/4n (e.g., <100 nm), where ? is the wavelength of incident radiation and n is the dielectric material's refractive index. The dielectric layer reflects (and/or transmits) light at a wavelength that depends on the layer's thickness. Because the dielectric layer's thickness varies, different parts of the dielectric layer may reflect (transmit) light at different wavelengths. For instance, shining white light on a dielectric layer with a linearly varying thickness may produce a rainbow-like reflected (and/or transmitted) beam. Thus, the spectral encoder maps different wavelengths to different points in space. This mapping can be characterized by a transfer matrix which can be used to determine the spectrum of radiation incident on the spectral encoder from the spatial intensity distribution of the radiation reflected (and/or transmitted) by the spectral encoder.