9 Minute ReadIntroduction In Part 2 of this article on the development of the infrared spectrometer, I covered the basic details of the Fourier transform version of the instrument – the FTIR. In this final instalment, we look at some accessories that can be used with a modern day FT spectrometer, in order to handle a variety […]
The Infrared Spectrometer – Part 3 Read More »
8 Minute ReadIntroduction In Part 1 of this article looked at the development of the dispersive infrared (IR) spectrometer employing a grating monochromator and slits. And the details of some sample preparation techniques were described from a somewhat personal perspective, growing up as I did as an undergraduate chemistry student in the 1970’s. Here in Part 2,
The Infrared Spectrometer – Part 2 Read More »
7 Minute ReadIntroduction Quite a few articles on this site have looked at atomic and molecular spectra in the UV and visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, in emission, absorption and even reflection. In this article we are going to move on and look at a different region: the infrared or IR. IR spectroscopy (which is also
The Infrared Spectrometer – Part 1 Read More »
10 Minute ReadIntroduction This post describes three simple demonstration spectrometers that the home experimenter can set up, with a minimum of optical elements, in order to get involved with examining spectra. These optical design demos are able to capture and record the spectrum of any light source. Whether it is a neon lamp, with its characteristic red
Three Simple “Demo” Spectrometers Read More »
7 Minute ReadIntroduction There are a number of technical constraints to consider when selecting a spectrometer for a particular application, whether this involves purchasing a commercial model from the wide range of relatviely low cost mini-spectrometers available these days, or whether one is designing and home-building a spectrometer from scratch. In this post we shall consider some
Factors Affecting Spectrometer Performance Read More »
3 Minute ReadThe calibration of spectra in wavelength λ that you will see in these different posts has usually been performed with commercial “pencil-type” spectral lamps of mercury-argon Hg(Ar), krypton (Kr) and neon (Ne). These lamps use a continuous AC or DC discharge to excite the inert gases in the tubes and emit a series of narrow
Light Sources for Calibrating Spectrometers Read More »
4 Minute ReadIntroduction Modern spectrometers today, regardless of their size, employ sensitive linear CCD and CMOS sensors. The most popular sizes have 1024, 2048 and more recently 4096 pixels along the dispersion axis of the grating. Associated software automatically reads out a series of digitized values, each value corresponding to a single pixel element on the detector.
Spectrometer Calibration Read More »
13 Minute ReadIntroduction The development of the spectroscope over the last 160 years since its invention has paralleled the evolution in technological advances. This is particularly the case for the last several decades as the development of more efficient electronic detectors have gradually replaced the photographic film. Much progress has been made in this area of detection.
Spectrometer Designs Read More »
< 1 In a previous post we described in scientific terms the basic principles of the optical phenomenon of reflection. The definition of the percentage reflectance of light from the surface of any material was defined quantitatively. We set up a small fibre optic spectrometer and a reflectance probe in order to record the reflectance spectra of
Fruit and Veg Spectroscopy! Read More »
4 Minute ReadIntroduction As its name implies, this spectrometer has a fixed diffraction grating. So the wavelength range available and the resolving power (the spectral resolution) are pre-determined during manufacture. Oriel (now Newport Corporation) used to offer 4 models with different wavelength ranges and resolutions for this spectrometer, but I am not sure if these are still
FICS -Fixed Imaging Compact Spectrograph Read More »
4 Minute ReadIntroduction MS125 This is a very versatile spectrograph that I have used over the years to record a variety of spectra from various emission sources, astronomical objects and other samples. When it is combined with a linear CCD detector such as the InstaSpec IV™ described here it becomes a sensitive and flexible spectroscopy system. The
MS125 and InstaSpec IV Combination Read More »
2 Minute ReadIntroduction Several years ago I connected the MS125 spectrometer to a 12 inch Meade LX200 telescope to test its suitability for recording stellar spectra. In order manually to guide on the star’s image the Oriel Sighting Optic was employed which you can clearly see in the photo here: Exposure times were limited to under 5
Some Early Stellar Spectra Read More »
