Optical spectroscopy

From WikiMD's Food, Medicine & Wellness Encyclopedia

Optical spectroscopy refers to the interaction of light with matter. This interaction can be absorption, emission, or scattering. The study of these interactions is used to identify and quantify the physical and chemical properties of matter.

History[edit | edit source]

The history of optical spectroscopy can be traced back to the 17th century when Isaac Newton first discovered that white light could be split into a spectrum of colors using a prism. This discovery laid the foundation for the development of spectroscopy.

Types of Optical Spectroscopy[edit | edit source]

There are several types of optical spectroscopy, including:

  • Absorption spectroscopy: This involves measuring the amount of light absorbed by a sample at different wavelengths.
  • Emission spectroscopy: This involves measuring the light emitted by a sample after it has been excited by an energy source.

Applications[edit | edit source]

Optical spectroscopy has a wide range of applications in various fields such as chemistry, physics, astronomy, and medicine. It is used to identify and quantify the composition of substances, study the physical properties of matter, and investigate the structure of atoms and molecules.

See Also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]


Optical spectroscopy Resources
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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD