Electro-Optical Imaging Technology Based on Microlens Array and Fiber Interferometer

• Main Authors: Fan Yang, Wei Yan, Peng Tian, Fanxin Li, Fupin Peng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-03-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: interference imaging; microlens array; fiber interference; Van Cittert–Zernike theory; interference baseline
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/7/1331

To reduce the volume and weight of traditional optical telescopes effectively, this article proposes an electro-optical imaging technology based on a microlens array and fiber interferometer. Pairs of microlenses in the microlens array collect light and couple it into a fiber interferometer to form interference fringes. Then the amplitude and phase of a large number of interferometer baselines are analyzed to generate images. In this work, the principle of electro-optical imaging technology has been analyzed according to the partially coherent light theory. The microlens-array arrangement method and baseline pairing method have been optimized for arbitrary targets. From the simulation results, it was found that the imaging resolution depends on the maximum baseline length, and the imaging quality could be effectively improved by adjusting the Nyquist sampling density and baseline pairing method. This technology can provide an important reference for the miniaturization and complanation of imaging systems.