In-flight estimation of instrument spectral response functions using sparse representations

Abstract. High-resolution spectrometers are composed of different optical elements and detectors that must be modeled as accurately as possible. Specifically, accurate estimates of instrument spectral response functions (ISRFs) are critical in order not to compromise the retrieval of trace gas concentrations from spectral measurements. Currently, parametric models are used to estimate these response functions. However, these models cannot always take into account the diversity of ISRF shapes that are encountered in practical applications. This paper studies a new ISRF estimation method based on a sparse representation of the ISRF in a dictionary. The proposed method is shown to be very competitive when compared to parametric models, yielding up to 1 order of magnitude smaller normalized ISRF estimation errors. The method is applied to different high-resolution spectrometers, demonstrating its reproducibility for multiple remote sensing missions.