Introduction to Optical

Spectroscopy
(Chapters 6-7)
Lecture 3
Fundamentals of
electromagnetic radiation

c
E = hn n=
l
h = Planck's constant = 6.626 10-34 J s c = speed of light = 3.00 108 m
s
n =frequency in Hz
l =wavelength
Electromagnetic spectrum

http://www.yorku.ca/eye/spectrum.gif
What chemical and/or material
property can we measure?
Elemental composition
Identity of a pure substance
Components of a mixture
Amount of a substance in a mixture
Surface composition
Material property (stress/strain, Old American Zinc Company
Fairmont City, IL
polymer cross-linking, change of
state, temperature)
Reaction rate, mechanism, products
Bulk/major component, minor
component,
trace component, ultra-trace
component

Alaska oil drilling site

Art Restoration
 ScienceDaily (Aug. 15, 2007) Amid growing concern about outbreaks of food
poisoning, researchers in South Carolina are reporting development of a new
"food freshness sensor," for fast, accurate detection of food spoilage.

In the study, John Lavigne and colleagues describe the need for better sensors
that can detect food spoilage caused by E. coli, Salmonella, and other disease-
causing bacteria. Existing methods, such as "electronic noses" and "electronic
tongues," require expensive equipment, are time consuming and involve
complicated analyses.

In the study, they describe development of a polymer material that raises a red
flag, changing color in the presence biogenic amines, compounds produced by
the bacterial decay of food proteins. In laboratory tests, the polymer identified
and distinguished between 22 different kinds of key food-spoilage amines with
97 percent accuracy.

Researchers also used the polymer to check the freshness of a tuna by detecting
the amount of amines present in the sample. "The sensitivity of the described
assay is better than the typical mammalian sense of smell and is able to detect
this nonvolatile amine at hazardous levels before the fish would begin to smell
rancid," the report states. The approach also shows promise for detecting
spoilage in other food types, it adds.
What properties of incident or
generated light can we measure?
Absorption
Fluorescence/Phosphorescence
Thermal Emission
Chemiluminescence
Scattering
Refraction or Refractive Index
Polarization, Phase
Interference/Diffraction
Chemistry consequent to the above
What atomic/molecular properties
alter light (in detectable ways)?
Rotation
Vibration
Electronic Excitation
Ionization (loss of electron)
Combinations of the above:
Rotation-vibration (infrared/Raman)
Ro-vibronic (UV-vis)
Ionization (UV typically)
The properties you want to probe
guide wavelength selection
 Absorbance/Excitation

Light Energy,
Source Focus Specimen Focus Space, and Detection
Time Sorting

Transmission
Reflection

Geometry for Multi-wavelength,

Simultaneous Detection
Emission/Chemiluminescence
Plasma, Energy,
flame, or Focus Space, and Detection
chemistry Time Sorting

Computing enhances control

of and information extracted
from each block
Fluorescence/ Luminescence/
Raman Scattering (emission)
Light
Source Focus Specimen Typical geometry 90,
Laser but angle variable

May include
energy sorting Energy,
Focus Detection
Space, and
Time Sorting
Selecting the right optical
method
Light Sources
 Design parameters
Bandwidth (range of
wavelengths/energies)
Continuum vs discrete lines

Intensity (Power density)

Coherent
Continuum and Line
Sources

Which do you use?

Classes of light sources
Light sources: Common
examples
Black/grey body emission
Light emitting diode
Arc lamp/hollow cathode lamp
Solid-state laser
Gas/excimer laser
Dye laser
Thermal excitation
Combination (laser to vaporize
sample, leading to thermal emission)
Continuum spectra and
blackbody radiation

2.898 106 K nm
l peak =
T
2.898 106 K nm
lroomtemp = = 9.82 m m
295 K
2.898 106 K nm
lhuman = = 9.35 m m
310 K http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Blackbody-lg.png
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_body
Continuum sources
Common sources
Deuterium lamp (UV)
Ar, Xe, or Hg lamps (UV-vis)
Not always continuousspectral structure

http://www1.union.edu/newmanj/lasers/Light%20Production/LampSpectra.gif
http://creativelightingllc.info/450px-Deuterium_lamp_1.png
Light emitting diodes (LEDs)
First practical visible region LED
invented by Nick Holonyak in
1962 (GE, then UIUC)
Father of the light-emitting-diode

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Holonyak
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/PnJunction-LED-E.PNG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f4/Red-YellowGreen-Blue_LED_spectra.png
Non-laser line sources
Continuous wave
Hollow cathode discharge lamp
Microwave discharge
Flames and argon plasmas
Pulsed
Pulsed hollow cathode
Spark discharge
Light Amplification by
Stimulated Emission
of Radiation
 Design features
Beam size ( 0.01micron)
Bandwidth (0.01nm or less)
Beam intensity (photon flux)
Coherent light source
Laser design