Variable resolution spectrometer

A method for recovering a digitized spectrum, comprising:

• providing an optical system configured to transform rays, including:
• a diffraction grating,
• a steering mirror,
• an actuator, and
• a stage;
• and
• executing a scan operation, the scan operation comprising:
• moving, using the actuator, one of the stage, diffraction grating, or steering mirror according to a movement regime to vary an incidence of the rays on the stage, the movement regime having a start position and an end position, and
• sensing, using a sensor array disposed on the stage including a plurality of pixel columns rays incident on the sensor array from the optical system at a plurality of measurement locations to obtain a plurality of ray spectra, wherein each of the pixel columns has at least one pixel;
• and
• using a processor:
• receiving the ray spectra,
• interleaving the ray spectra to yield an interleaved spectrum, and
• deconvolving a point spread function corresponding to the optical system from the interleaved spectrum to yield a recovered digitized spectrum.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising one or more programs for executing the following steps on one or more computing devices:

• receive ray spectra obtained from rays incident on a sensor array including a plurality of pixel columns, each of the pixel columns having at least one pixel, wherein the sensor array is disposed on a stage from an optical system comprising the stage, a diffraction grating and a steering mirror, wherein the stage, diffraction grating, or steering mirror is moved, using an actuator according to a movement regime to vary the incidence of rays on the stage, and wherein the movement regime has a start position and an end position;
• interleave the ray spectra to yield an interleaved spectrum;
• and
• deconvolve a point spread function corresponding to the optical system from the interleaved spectrum to yield a recovered digitized spectrum.