The imaging Bragg tunable filter: a new path to integral field spectroscopy and narrow band imaging

An entirely new type of imaging tunable filter has been developed by Photon etc. and the California Institute of Technology. The Volume Bragg Grating based device is able to select a single wavelength for each pixel in a full camera field. The demonstration tabletop prototype was able to select images with a 2 nm bandwidth from 400 to 750 nm. Data cubes were produced through a wavelength scan from which a spectrum per pixel can be extracted. The prototype showed no image distortion, a very stable instrument profile, and high efficiency. The compact and robust tunable filter can operate from 350 nm to 2.5 mm with bandwidths from 3 Å to 200 nm, showing a great potential for both ground based and space astronomy.