Dynamic angular dispersion of a tunable plane grating

Abstract

We present the fabrication of a reflective elastic plane diffraction grating actuated by asymmetric elongation and investigate the reciprocal angular dispersion. Using a white light source, increasing the grating pitch allows variable wavelength output. A dynamic dispersion relation in terms of the applied strain, parameterized by a single angle of incidence, is presented. Such an element may find use in inexpensive monochromators and spectrometers.