A method for simultaneously obtaining one or more metrics associated with a Brillouin scattering spectrum at multiple points within a sample, the method comprising: illuminating the sample by a light beam along a first direction, wherein the illuminating light is provided by an illuminating source (710, 1220) having a single wavelength in the UV, visible, or IR regime, either fixed or tunable around its center value; collecting a Brillouin scattered light emitted from the sample in response to the illuminating light beam; sending the Brillouin scattered light to an optical arrangement (223 to 226, 322 to 328, 715 to 722) to induce a spectral dispersion and to a detection unit (227, 329, 723) to generate a spatio- spectral pattern of the Brillouin scattered light, wherein the optical arrangement and the detection unit are positioned along a second direction, and wherein the optical arrangement includes a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) (224, 324, 717), a Fabry-Perot etalon, or an echelle grating and further comprises optical elements to modify size, shape, and/or angular spread of the spatio-spectral pattern in an optical path from the sample to the detection unit; wherein optionally the illuminating light beam is generated by a laser source and the detection unit is a CCD, CMOS camera, or an array of detectors; wherein the angle between the first direction and the second direction is any angle greater than 0°; detecting the spatio-spectral pattern of the Brillouin scattering light onto the detection unit, wherein multiple points of the sample along the illuminating light beam are measured simultaneously; calibrating the spectral pattern at each spatial point at the detection unit; and calculating the one or more Brillouin metrics at each measured sample point based on the detected spatio-spectral pattern; wherein the one or more Brillouin metrics at each measured sample point are indicative of physical characteristics of the sample consisting of viscoelastic modulus, mass density, refractive index, electrostriction, and combination thereof, and the Brillouin metrics are selected from the group consisting of: Brillouin frequency shift, Brillouin spectrum line width, Brillouin gain or loss spectrum, and a combination thereof. illuminating the sample by a light beam along a first direction, wherein the illuminating light is provided by an illuminating source (710, 1220) having a single wavelength in the UV, visible, or IR regime, either fixed or tunable around its center value; collecting a Brillouin scattered light emitted from the sample in response to the illuminating light beam; sending the Brillouin scattered light to an optical arrangement (223 to 226, 322 to 328, 715 to 722) to induce a spectral dispersion and to a detection unit (227, 329, 723) to generate a spatio- spectral pattern of the Brillouin scattered light, wherein the optical arrangement and the detection unit are positioned along a second direction, and wherein the optical arrangement includes a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) (224, 324, 717), a Fabry-Perot etalon, or an echelle grating and further comprises optical elements to modify size, shape, and/or angular spread of the spatio-spectral pattern in an optical path from the sample to the detection unit; wherein optionally the illuminating light beam is generated by a laser source and the detection unit is a CCD, CMOS camera, or an array of detectors; wherein the angle between the first direction and the second direction is any angle greater than 0°; detecting the spatio-spectral pattern of the Brillouin scattering light onto the detection unit, wherein multiple points of the sample along the illuminating light beam are measured simultaneously; calibrating the spectral pattern at each spatial point at the detection unit; and calculating the one or more Brillouin metrics at each measured sample point based on the detected spatio-spectral pattern; wherein the one or more Brillouin metrics at each measured sample point are indicative of physical characteristics of the sample consisting of viscoelastic modulus, mass density, refractive index, electrostriction, and combination thereof, and the Brillouin metrics are selected from the group consisting of: Brillouin frequency shift, Brillouin spectrum line width, Brillouin gain or loss spectrum, and a combination thereof.