Imaging FTS: A Different Approach to Integral Field Spectroscopy
Figure 1
Data acquisition with an imaging FTS. (a) By scanning the Optical Path Difference (OPD) of the interferometer and taking images at every step, one gets a datacube composed of one interferogram for every pixel. (b) For a given pixel, the recorded intensity varies as a function of the OPD with a pattern that depends on the spectral content of the source; for example, a monochromatic laser beam would produce a sinusoidal pattern. A Fourier transform of the signal produces a spectrum for every pixel in the image. (c) After Fourier transforming every interferogram, one gets a spectral datacube from which monochromatic images corresponding to the emission lines of interest are extracted.
