In an imaging system providing an image of a target of interest, a method of
reducing
interference from a laser beam includes the steps of: (a) receiving optical energy
from the target of interest and the laser beam; (b) forming an interferogram of
spectral energy, at each spatial position of an image, based on the optical energy
received in step (a); (c) detecting the interferogram of spectral energy, at each
of the spatial positions, to provide a corresponding spectral band of intensity
values; (d) selecting an intensity level in the spectral band, detected in step
(c), that is greater than a predetermined value, and reducing the selected intensity
level; and (e) forming an image of the target of interest, after reducing the selected
intensity level of step (d).