Incoherent optical processing: Sampling the incoherent spectrum

The incoherent spectrum of the object is linearly filtered by the modulation transfer function (MTF) of the incoherent imaging system. When coding a convinient filter upon the MTF, the system becomes an information processor. Statistical filters are computed from the objects to be classified, whose incoherent spectra must be measured. This paper presents the principle of the sampling of incoherent spectra, a computer-operated sampling system, and the first experimental results.