Editorial: Novel Optical Measurement and Imaging Technologies using Broadband Light Sources

Zhe Guang^1*Ping Zhu²Fumin Zhang³Peijun Gong⁴

• ¹Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, United States
• ²Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Shanghai, China
• ³Tianjin University School of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin, China
• ⁴The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia

The published works span a wide range of applications and methods, yet all share the unifying theme of exploiting broadband optical strategies to enhance measurement robustness. Astronomical Metrology with Structured Light: Zhang et al. proposed an accuracy analysis framework for pose measurement of subreflectors in large-aperture antennas using stereo structured light. Their method combined error-in-variables modeling, Newton's downhill iteration, and Bursa transformation theory, enabling high-precision six-degree-of-freedom alignment within milliseconds. This work demonstrates how optical metrology ensures the reliability of deep-space communication and radio astronomy under challenging environmental conditions.  Rapid 3D Reconstruction for Industrial Pipelines: Yao et al. introduced a monocular vision approach for reconstructing constant-diameter straight pipelines via single-view perspective projection. By eliminating the need for markers or end-face contours, the method achieved a near-100% improvement in reconstruction speed while maintaining accuracy. This advance offers significant benefits for inspection drones tasked with monitoring industrial infrastructure such as oil and gas pipelines. polarization imaging and processing strategy for scenes obscured by sea fog. By combining multi-wavelength data through wavelet fusion, their approach enhanced contrast and edge details under low signal-to-noise conditions. This method provides valuable tools for navigation, maritime safety, and remote sensing in adverse weather.Together, these contributions underscore the transformative potential of broadband light sources when coupled with novel optical designs and computational methods. The breadth of applications, from radio telescopes to marine navigation, illustrates how advances in one field can inspire solutions in another. Importantly, these studies highlight not only measurement accuracy and imaging fidelity but also robustness to environmental disturbances, compact system architectures, and computational efficiency. We hope that this collection inspires further interdisciplinary research and accelerates the translation of optical innovations into real-world applications.