Optical absorption and fluorescence spectral imaging using fiber bundle image compression

Optical absorption and fluorescence spectral imaging is performed by using the recently developed fiber-bundle image compression (FIC) technique in which an entire spectral image is collected in a single scan of a charged-coupled device (CCD) detector. Absorption imaging is demonstrated by mapping the optical absorbance of a stained microscopic lily plant stem section. Fluorescence imaging is demonstrated by mapping shifts in the ruby R₁ fluorescence line to determine the pressure distribution in a microcrystalline ruby powder squeezed between two diamond surfaces. The advantages and limitations of the FIC method, relative to tunable filter and line imaging techniques, are discussed.