System and method for encoded spatio-spectral information processing

A tunable source of radiation, comprising:

• a broad-band radiation source providing a substantially continuous spectrum of radiation components within a predetermined portion of the spectrum;
• a wavelength dispersing device spatially dispersing radiation from the source into a series of radiation bands, each corresponding to a particular wavelength;
• and
• a spatial light modulator (SLM) modulating said series of radiation bands individually to generate a tunable output pattern having predetermined characteristics.

A method of analyzing samples of material, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a controllable source of radiation capable of generating arbitrary combinations of spectral radiation components within the predetermined spectrum range, a combination of spectral radiation components being defined as a spectral signature;
• and
• (b) irradiating a sample of material with a predetermined spectral signature from the provided controllable source of radiation;
• (c) directing radiation from the irradiated sample to one or more detector elements;
• and
• (d) analyzing the output of the detector elements to determine properties of said sample of material.

A device for measuring interaction of electromagnetic radiation with samples of material, comprising:

• a radiation source for irradiating at least one sample of the material with electromagnetic radiation, said source having predetermined characteristics;
• means for encoding arbitrary radiation bands from the sample with a unique code;
• processing means for processing encoded radiation bands in the analog domain;
• detector means receiving input from said processing means and providing on output an indication of the interaction between the electromagnetic radiation from the source with the sample of material.