Aperture-aware Dispersion 5-D Light-field Imaging Spectrometer

Chenglong Huang, Tao Lv, Jianing Yang, Chongde Zi, Linsen Chen, Xun Cao

Enhancing perceptual dimensions while miniaturizing imaging systems presents significant challenges for high-dimensional visual sensing. Conventionally, the acquisition of the 5D (x,y,u,v,λ) spectral light field (5D-SLF) data cube relies on bulky and expensive camera arrays, which are impractical for widespread application. Existing single-detector systems are fundamentally limited by a trade-off between the resolutions of different dimensions owing to insufficient coding capabilities. Here we introduce an Aperture-aware Dispersion Light-field Imaging Spectrometer (ADLIS), that targets a synergy between compactness and resolution through aperture-multiplexed modulation, leveraging the inherent spectral-filtering properties of birefringent material. Using only a manufacturing-friendly and cost-effective phase plate made of birefringent quartz crystal, the aperture of the proposed ADLIS enables compact angular-spectral encoding that is highly sensitive to both the incident angle and spectrum of incoming light. In contrast to the viewpoint-separation approach of microlens arrays, ADLIS employs aperture encoding to superimpose all viewpoints onto each sensor pixel. This shifts the design paradigm from spatial division to encoding integration, aiming to achieve full-resolution light field recovery. Thus, we develop the Aperture-aware Dispersion Light-field Imaging (ADLI) framework, which optimizes the aperture design and 5D-SLF reconstruction in an end-to-end (E2E) manner. Trained by simulation data and validated through real-world experiments, our system achieves robust high-performance 5D-SLF imaging while maintaining full spatial resolution.