Can a Lens Create a Rainbow from a Broad Beam of Light?

[notnow]

In standard experiment with prism, you can create a rainbow from a thin beam of white light. Is it possible to design a lens that will create a rainbow from a broad beam? Even if it is only at a fixed distance from the lens?

 

[Mu naught]

I believe the purpose of the thin slit is to produce light which is coherent. As far as producing a spectrum with a prism is concerned, I don't think the width of the beam of light makes much of a difference, but the coherence is important.

I may be wrong the second point though.

 

[Andy Resnick]

In standard experiment with prism, you can create a rainbow from a thin beam of white light. Is it possible to design a lens that will create a rainbow from a broad beam? Even if it is only at a fixed distance from the lens?

I suppose- if you use a lens with huge amounts of transverse chromatic aberration. Three lifetimes ago, I was part of a pilot project to use a 'crappy' lens (large amounts of longitudinal chromatic aberration) to make a hyperspectral imager.