Theory of spectroscopic devices

Abstract

A fundamental formalism featuring the common working principle of different spectroscopic devices is introduced. General formulas for angular dispersion, free spectral range, and spectral resolution are deduced from both the impulse response function and the spatial transmission function of the device, based on the assumption that these functions can be written up as the product of a finite width, real-aperture function, and a complex periodic function. The method will also be shown to work in specific cases.