5 Minute ReadIntroduction Here’s an inexpensive way to use the camera sensor in your smartphone as a light detector for a spectroscope. With a sheet of folded card and a cheap diffraction […]
Turn Your Smartphone into a Spectroscope Read More »
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.
The Infrared Spectrometer – Part 3 Read More »
8 Minute ReadIntroduction In Part 1 of this article we looked at the development of the dispersive infrared (IR) spectrometer employing a grating monochromator and slits. And the details of some sample
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
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
Three Simple “Demo” Spectrometers Read More »
3 Minute ReadIn a previous post I described one of the “workhorses” I have been using for several years for recording spectra. This is the Oriel MS125 spectrometer coupled with an InstaSpec
Freedom from DOS at Last! 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
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
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
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 over the last several
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
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
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.
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
Some Early Stellar Spectra Read More »
