Simplified Compressive Sensing Spectral Imager

A method for designing a spectral sensing device, the method comprising:

• performing computational operations on a computer, wherein the computational operations determine the positions of diffracted orders of an optical system model that models at least an array of light modulating elements and a diffraction grating, wherein the diffracted orders correspond to respective spectral components of input light to the optical system model, wherein the positions of the diffracted orders are determined at a target plane of the optical system model;
• storing the positions of the diffracted orders in a memory, wherein the positions determine corresponding locations for light detectors in the spectral sensing device.

A non-transitory memory medium for designing a spectral sensing device, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the program instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

• perform computational operations, wherein the computational operations determine the positions of diffracted orders of an optical system model that models at least an array of light modulating elements and a diffraction grating, wherein the diffracted orders correspond to respective spectral components of input light to the optical system model, wherein the positions of the diffracted orders are determined at a target plane of the optical system model;
• store the positions of the diffracted orders in a memory, wherein the positions determine corresponding locations for light detectors in the spectral sensing device.