<title>Optimization and characterization of an imaging Hadamard spectrometer</title>

Hadamard Transform Spectrometer (HTS) approaches share the multiplexing advantages found in Fourier transform spectrometers. Interest in Hadamard systems has been limited due to data storage/computational limitations and the inability to perform accurate high order masking in a reasonable amount of time. Advances in digital micro-mirror array (DMA) technology have opened the door to implementing an HTS for a variety of applications including fluorescent microscope imaging and Raman imaging. A Hadamard transform spectral imager (HTSI) for remote sensing offers a variety of unique capabilities in one package such as variable spectral and temporal resolution, no moving parts (other than the micro-mirrors) and vibrational insensitivity. An HTSI for remote sensing using a Texas Instrument digital micro-mirror device (DMD) is being designed for use in the spectral region 1.25 - 2.5 micrometers . In an effort to optimize and characterize the system, an HTSI sensor system simulation has been concurrently developed. The design specifications and hardware components for the HTSI are presented together with results calculated by the HTSI simulation that include the effects of digital (vs. analog) scene data input, detector noise, DMD rejection ratios, multiple diffraction orders and multiple Hadamard mask orders.