This page holds the database of **publications and textbook chapters curated for optics. See Library of Babel (Optics) for a complete collection. We recommend reading the “Starter-Pack” papers first, in the order listed, before jumping to a specific topic of interest and then reading the references in the order given under that particular category.
Optical Design of a Miniaturized Airborne Push-Broom Spectrometer
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/7/2627
Optical Design of a Miniaturized Airborne Push-Broom Spectrometer.pdf
Good concise high-level explanation of design process
Design of a Hyperspectral Imager Using COTS Optics for Small Satellite Applications
https://folk.ntnu.no/torarnj/Design_of_a_Hyperspectral_Imager_Using_COTS_Optics_for_Small_Satellite_Applications.pdf
Design of a Hyperspectral Imager Using COTS Optics for Small Satellite Applications.pdf
Good description of assembly process, practical considerations. Transmission grating design.
Space Mission Analysis and Design (Springer)
Very boring, don’t read. Included here (at the top) because it covers system engineering principles, which are always at the beginning of the design process.
Chapter 9: For Earth observation payloads. Systems engineering context, basic description of high-level design, case studies.
Hyperspectral Remote Sensing (Eismann, SPIE 2012)
https://spie.org/publications/book/899758
Michael Eismann - Hyperspectral Remote Sensing. PM210-SPIE (2012).pdf
Textbook; provides good coverage of the topic, formulas with understandable qualitative description. Recommend:
Chapter 6: Imaging System Design (Optical system design, photodetector selection, brightness, resolution) Chapter 7: Dispersive Spectrometer Design and Analysis Chapter 10: Imaging Spectrometer Calibration.
Comparison of SNR Metrics for Remote Sensing
https://doi.org/10.1117/1.1355251
Good and concise derivation of the radiative transfer model. Brief discussion of different SNR metrics. Commentary for formulas assumes proficiency in the subject. More specifics about SNR and image quality relative to military standards.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio Evaluation of Luojia 1-01 Satellite Nighttime Light Remote Sensing Camera Based on Time Sequence Images
SNR Evaluation in Satellite for Night Time Remote Sensing.pdf
More detailed derivation of radiative transfer model, plus a commentary on the spectral calibration aspects. Grammar is not perfect, but underlying ideas are okay for learning. Explanations are longer and easier to grasp for students.
Thorlabs supplies many simple but widely needed optical components. Their primary selling point is convenience and good (but not necessarily industry-leading) quality. They helpfully provide a multitude of “Buyers’ Guides” in the form of tutorials, webinars, and a robust customer support system. This ultimately helps the unfamiliar become acquainted with key specifications for whichever device / component they wish to purchase and understand which one is right for their application. They do a fairly good job at this. There are very many articles (that will be added), listed in alphabetical order.