Image plane coded aperture detectors for THz imaging

Image plane coded aperture (IPCA) detectors are composed of a single element detector sensitive to the radiation frequencies of interest, a reconfigurable spatial light modulator (SLM), and a mechanism such as a lens or a horn that is used to collect the radiation modulated by the SLM and focus it on the sensing element. The IPCA detector is placed in the image plane of an imager and is used to make linear measurements on the image by modulating the signal spatially and/or temporally in amplitude, frequency, phase, or polarization. The image is then reconstructed computationally. In this paper we present an implementation of an IPCA detector that can be used for Terahertz imaging and discuss other possible implementations.