Mar 19, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Spectrograph
Generally, dispersion is an effect that happens because the velocity of waves in a material depends on wavelength. This manifests in many different phenomenon, but only one is encountered on a regular basis: the index of refraction is dependent on wavelength. This...
Mar 19, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Spectroscopy
A spectrograph is a device that separates a signal into its component wavelengths. The easiest way to picture this is thinking about a prism splitting white light into colors. In fact, a prism is a type of spectrograph. Specifically, prisms work through dispersion....
Mar 19, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Optics
Fiber optics is a subset of optics that deals with how light behaves in fibers. Fibers are cables that are made of materials like glass or plastic and clad in something with a lower index of refraction than the core. Choosing the appropriate materials for the core and...
Mar 19, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Properties of Light
Refraction is when a light beam changes direction after entering a new medium. This is why objects in the water are seen at a different place from where they actually are; the light has been “bent” when exiting the water. The image below shows light being refracted...
Mar 19, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Sampling
The SATR probes take advantage of the high refractive index of sapphire to consistently generate total internal reflection at the interface between the probe and the sample. When a beam is reflected through total internal reflection, an evanescent wave with the same...
Mar 19, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Properties of Light
When talking about energy levels, the lowest level is called the ground state. At room temperature, everything (electrons, vibrations, etc.) is in the ground state. If the atoms or molecules can absorb energy, they can be promoted into a higher energy level, called an...