Patent ID: 6930775

Claim:
A method for wavelength-based processing of a light beam, the method comprising: receiving and diffracting, at a diffraction grating, an incident light beam, produced by at least one of a chemical reaction and a physical reaction at a selected reaction site and having at least first and second apart wavelengths, λ1 and λ2, to provide first and second diffracted beams having the wavelengths λ1 and λ2, respectively; receiving the first and second diffracted beams at first and second spaced apart light detectors, respectively; determining a time difference between a time said first diffracted beam arrives at said first detector and a time said second diffracted beam arrives at said second detector; and characterizing the reaction by a combination of the relative amount of light received by the first and second detectors, the time difference and at least one of the first and second wavelengths.