Abstract: The present invention relates to, in a first aspect a handheld modular spectrometer comprising at least a light source, a detector, a sampling means and a processing unit, wherein at least the processing unit is within a spectrometer body that further comprises a connection node, at least the sampling means is within a spectrometer head module that attaches to the spectrometer body, the spectrometer head module further comprises a node interfacing means that interfaces with the connection node upon attachment of the spectrometer head module to the spectrometer body, and the attached spectrometer head module is able to be detached from the spectrometer body, enabling attachment of an alternate spectrometer head module also having a sampling means and node interfacing means, so as to alter at least one functional property of the handheld modular spectrometer.

Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed relating to a refractively-scanning interferometer comprising an aperture that receives an incident light beam at a receiving angle, a beam splitter configured to split the incident light beam into a first beam and a second beam, a first and a second reflector arranged to reflect the first beam and second beam, respectively, towards a combining optical element, and a refractive Optical Path Difference (rOPD) assembly interposed between the beam splitter and the first reflector, wherein the rOPD Assembly refracts the first light beam an even number of times with induced phase discrepancy being a vector sum of a first phase discrepancy induced by a first refraction and a second phase discrepancy induced by a second refraction, the rOPD Assembly being configured such that the first phase discrepancy is substantially opposite in direction to the second phase discrepancy, a portion of the first and second phase discrepancies cancelling one another out to decrease magnitude of the phase di

Abstract: The present invention relates to a spectrometer for detecting multiple spectra, the spectrometer comprising a light source, a sample tray, a detector adapted to detect Raman spectra and at least one of absorbance spectra or reflectance spectra, an incident light path extending from the light source to the sample tray, and a sample light path extending from the sample tray to the detector, wherein in use, the incident light path directs incident light from the light source to a sample in the sample tray, whereupon it interacts with the sample to form a characteristic signal, the sample light path directs sample light comprising the characteristic signal from the sample to the detector, and the characteristic signal comprises at least one of a Raman spectrum, an absorbance spectrum and a reflectance spectrum that is characteristic of the sample in the sample tray.