Evanescently coupled multimode spiral spectrometer
  We designed a high-resolution compact spectrometer based on an evanescently-coupled multimode spiral waveguide. Interference between the modes in the waveguide forms a wavelength-dependent speckle pattern which is used as a fingerprint to identify the input wavelength after calibration. Evanescent coupling between neighboring arms of the spiral results in a non-resonant broad-band enhancement of the spectral resolution. Experimentally, we demonstrated a resolution of 0.01 nm at a wavelength of 1520 nm using a 250 {\mu}m radius spiral structure. Spectra containing 40 independent spectral channels are recovered simultaneously and the operation bandwidth is significantly increased by applying compressive sensing to sparse spectra reconstruction. 
Brandon Redding, Seng Fatt Liew, Yaron Bromberg, Raktim Sarma, Hui Cao
physics.ins-det physics.optics