What is Spectrometer: Definition and 173 Discussions

A spectrometer () is a scientific instrument used to separate and measure spectral components of a physical phenomenon. Spectrometer is a broad term often used to describe instruments that measure a continuous variable of a phenomenon where the spectral components are somehow mixed. In visible light a spectrometer can separate white light and measure individual narrow bands of color, called a spectrum. A mass spectrometer measures the spectrum of the masses of the atoms or molecules present in a gas. The first spectrometers were used to split light into an array of separate colors. Spectrometers were developed in early studies of physics, astronomy, and chemistry. The capability of spectroscopy to determine chemical composition drove its advancement and continues to be one of its primary uses. Spectrometers are used in astronomy to analyze the chemical composition of stars and planets, and spectrometers gather data on the origin of the universe.
Examples of spectrometers are devices that separate particles, atoms, and molecules by their mass, momentum, or energy. These types of spectrometers are used in chemical analysis and particle physics.

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  1. phi_skr

    A Question about detector and lens

    Light from the sample is collimated light. For imaging, does the spectrometer requires a lens to focus the collimated light on the entrance slits of the detector. Using the beam splitter, the collimated light from the sample is directed toward the spectrometer. Previously, we used a lens to...
  2. O

    I Creating a wavelength selectable light source with diffraction grating

    Could a miniature wavelength selectable light source (lamp + monochromator) be created by using a broad spectrum led or tiny xenon/deuterium lamp as a light source combined with a small diffraction grating (and other necessary optics like mirrors, lenses)? Thinking of an application in spectrometry.
  3. jbeale

    I Name for one kind of Czerny-Turner monochromator configuration?

    Can anyone say if there is a specific name for the Czerny-Turner monochromator configuration shown below, but specifically when the two mirrors M1 and M2 extend into each other and combine forming one monolithic mirror M12 with one single radius of curvature? I thought I saw such a design years...
  4. F

    Portable Spectrometer and questions about spectra collection....

    Hello everyone, I have a small portable VIS-NIR spectrometer with a fiber cable connected to it to collect light and see the light spectrum on the screen. I have a question about the difference between collecting the so-called "unprocessed" intensity vs wavelength (counts vs lambda) spectrum...
  5. A

    Dust free area when working with spectrometer

    I want to open up a spectrometer to see how the inside looks like. Is it true that the CCD in spectrometer is more sensitive to dusts than normal camera CCD such that even a small speck of dust can cover the CCD pixels and the user will get holes in the spectrum? The following is example I found...
  6. F

    Spectrometer sensitivity (photons/count) at different wavelengths

    Hello Everyone, I am trying to better understand how a spectrometer must be used to measure the wavelength content of the radiation from a specific source. All spectrometers measure irradiance over a wavelength range (for ex, UV-VIS) but the sensitivity (photons/count) is not the same for all...
  7. Tone L

    Optical Spectrometer centered wavelengths

    I am looking at this Hamamatsu mini-spectrometer, C12880MA [https://www.hamamatsu.com/us/en/product/type/C12880MA/index.html] The specs are, Spectral response range: 340 to 850 nm Spectral resolution (FWHM) (typ.): 12 nm Number of total pixels: 288 pixels Now the size of the band of sensor...
  8. C

    Optical Simple homemade Raman spectrometer / microscope

    Hello everyone, I am attempting to make a Raman spectrometer which can double as a microscope. It uses a 532nm laser for excitation, an infinity-corrected microscope objective to collimate the light, a 200 lines/mm diffraction grating, and a confocal lens pinhole setup. A 5 megapixel camera ...
  9. patric44

    Question related to a gamma spectrometer

    hi guys i am kinda have a vogue understanding of the working principle of the gamma spectrometer and have some questions 1 - i need some one to verify my interpretation of the working principle : the sodium iodide crystal emits photons of visible light the intensity of these photons is related...
  10. R

    Mass spectrometer with a Lead element

    Summary:: How to load the plates with the Lead element in the spectrometer I have a mass spectrometer with lead element which has an electronic configuration 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 3d^10 4s^2 4p^6 4d^10 5s^2 5p^6 4f^14 5d^10 6s^2 6p^2. It has 2 free electron, so the ejected electrons go...
  11. fluidistic

    Optical Looking for a high definition DIY spectrometer

    Hello people, I am looking for a high definition DIY spectrometer website or resource. If you find a good one please let me know. I've watched several youtube videos about it, used both googles and duckduckgo but I am left unsatisfied. There are several things I do not understand, both about...
  12. VVS2000

    Refractive index of a prism using a spectrometer

    In the image attached, How is it that the angle shown is 2A? And what exactly is the position of min deviation? Why does it have to be in the given position as shown? Thanks in advance!
  13. A

    Deconvolve absorption from this spectrometer signal

    Hello all, I have a monochromatic laser peaking at 808 nm and some non-scattering sample. I want to measure the absorption with a spectrometer. I can use the Beer-Lambert law to do this, but since it is a monochromatic laser I have some doubts. I could do a weighted-average, taking into...
  14. N

    I Spectrometer vs Spectrometry vs Spectroscopy

    How do you differentiate between the three? I read that "Spectrometry deals with the measurement of a specific spectrum. There are four primary types of spectrometers: 1. Mass spectrometry 2. Neutron triple axis spectrometry 3. Ion-mobility spectrometry 4. Rutherford backscattering...
  15. shahbaznihal

    Location of a diffraction pattern

    I am trying to make a spectrometer. At the moment, I have an optical setup consisting of a laser, diffraction grating and a screen/detector in a straight line. I am trying to understand how to estimate the location of the diffraction pattern of the slit on the screen? Is it the same location on...
  16. Anand Sivaram

    I Is it possible to use a DSLR as a cost effective spectrometer?

    Is it possible to use a DSLR as a cost effective spectrometer? To find out: The wavelength of different monochrome LED lights. The color temperature of different white lights To elaborate, take a DSLR and keep the white balance to fixed 6500K to get D65 white point. Take the photograph of...
  17. TachyonLord

    Sources of errors in a spectrometer experiment

    [Note from mentor: this lacks the homework template because it was originally posted in a non-homework forum.] I know this seems like a very dumb question but every other error I think of has been covered in precautions and the only errors I can think of are dumb ones. Help ! I had to plot the...
  18. TachyonLord

    B Whats the principle behind Schuster Focusing?

    I know its something related to the asymmentry in the i-d curve but its still not clear.
  19. DariusP

    I Question about spectrometer data

    Hello, I want to ask about this picture. This is a one bit of plasma spectrum from copper plate. Does anyone know what those romanic numbers (I, II, III) mean or what those numbers in [ ] mean? Also why am I seeing multiple element names on a single peak? I am so confused... P.S. The x-axis is...
  20. S

    How do I find refractive index uncertainties?

    I've been doing an experiment where I've used prisms and a spectrometer to find the exact angles inside the prisms and the refractive index of the prisms by finding the minimum angle of deviation. I have attached a picture of the formula I've been using to find the refractive indices. Where...
  21. H

    Extracting data from a spectrometer to Excel

    Good morning, I used the Laser beam with HR4000 spectrometer with Ocean View software when saving the files it is saved by (.ocv) format. when trying to extract information to excel I get some unreadable data like (bkg thin sheet gel.png) attached. I used the same instrument and software with...
  22. K

    Charges of ions in a mass spectrometer

    Homework Statement In a mass spectrometer, a few 126C ions are deflected with a radius of 12.9 cm. The ions have a speed of 5.67*10^4 m/s when they enter the field. The magnetic field has a strength of 3.2*10^-2 T. The charge of these ions must be ... SOLUTION: We use the formula: i F=qvB =...
  23. I

    What is the wavelength difference based on a mini spectrom.?

    Homework Statement I'm a bit stuck on how to approach this problem. A miniature spectrometer used for chemical analysis has a diffraction grating with 800 slits/mm set 25.0 mm in front of the detector "screen." The detector can barely distinguish two bright lines that are 30 μm apart in the...
  24. Michael Koch

    Wanted: Instructions for Leybold PGA 100 mass spectrometer

    I have a Leybold PGA 100 mass spectrometer, including the instruction manual. The instrument is paired with a gauge head. If either the instrument or the gauge head is exchanged, then an alignment is required. It's mentioned in the instruction manual there exists a supplement, which contains the...
  25. Bob3141592

    I Can reflected light be used to create an accurate spectrometer?

    I have need of a spectrometer to assist me in my artwork, so I plan to build one. Some of the paints I use are opaque, and many are transparent. I want to capture the spectrum as they would look painted over white canvas, or painted over other colors in several layers, so I will be reflecting...
  26. Ecthe

    I Spectrometer: bandpass and resolution

    Hello there, I am trying to improve my understanding regarding spectrometers bandpass, resolution etc. For that, I went through the Ridchardson grating handbook and on Horiba’s website where they have a nice explanation...
  27. R

    B Pocket size molecular spectrometer

    Has anyone owned the Scio pocket size molecular spectrometer that can make you identify substances? see https://www.consumerphysics.com/ how accurate is it? Is there a size limit for any spectrometer where accuracy could be affected? the Scio is an IR spectrometer.. is pocket size Raman...
  28. Z

    Investigation about the emission spectrum of Mercury

    Homework Statement For our investigation, we used a diffraction grating spectrometer to observe the emission spectrum of mercury. We conducted the experiment in a pitch black room to avoid any unwanted light pollution, etc. Whilst conducting the experiment we observed a number of 'faint' lines...
  29. A

    I Scaling up a mass spectrometer

    The essential question is can this tech be scaled up in the vacuum of space to add a substantial tangential acceleration to the orbital velocity vector of a piece of debris such as a speck of paint 1cm^2 in cross section. I am looking to deflect that speck of paint into a container or out of...
  30. J

    I Can a Spectrometer be used to detect material type?

    Hi, I don't know much about science of spectrometry, but I am working on a project where i need to detect and differentiate between different types of material types, and I was just wondering if I can use an Spectrometer such as Desktop Spectrometry Kit v3 (...
  31. C.Braestrup

    Microwave transparent material for ESR/EPR spectrometer

    Hi! Completely forgot about this great forum! I'm designing an electron spin resonance /electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer, as an easier vacation from my diy NMR - while still utilizing much of the same setup. Issue is; I have an X-band (~12GHz) waveguide cavity in a magnet, and I...
  32. phy_optics

    Halogen Lamp Spectrum 12V, 50W MR16: A vs B

    12V, 50W, MR16 halogen lamp spectrum is measured as shown ('B') with our newly developed mini-spectrometer having resolution ~1nm. But in internet it was similar to 'A' (We don't know how much resolution spectrometer they've used). Could anybody let me know what exactly the spectrum look like...
  33. M

    A Velocity Map Imaging Spectrometer

    Can anyone explain the basic principal of VMI? If it is possible then please give some study material links with your reply.
  34. T

    Finding velocity components of a charge leaving spectrometer

    Homework Statement I need to find the tangent of the angle, but I don't think that is the part I'm messing up... Assume the particle doesn't hit the wall. Initial velocity is v. It seems that Vix = 0m/s and ay=0 m/s Homework Equations I thought vfx^2 =vix^2 +2a(xf-xi) f=ma , f=eq The Attempt...
  35. Mzzed

    I Instrument Line Function of a Spectrometer

    I realize that in a spectrometer the spectral line being viewed will be the result of the actual spectral line plus an instrument line function as well (as seen in the linked image). What I don't understand is how this is produced? Someone tried explaining this to me once before but their...
  36. luanadcf

    Controlling Raman spectrometer Horiba T64000 with labview

    Hello! How are you? I am working in the photonics Lab in my university and I was wondering if has anyone ever tried to controll the horiba spectrometer T64000 with Labview. I know there is a way to do that with activx container. I was just wondering if that works. If it does, do you have any...
  37. R

    Mass spectrometer problem -- Need help

    Homework Statement A mass spectrometer is constructed using a velocity selector constructed using a parallel plate capacacitor in a uniform magnetic field Bin. The electric field in the selector is 1003.9 V/m and the magnetic field in that portion of the spectrometer is Bin = 0.998 T. The...
  38. K

    Mothballing an FT/IR Spectrometer

    I have the wonderful privilege of being the one user and conveniently described subject matter expert over the operation of my employer's FT/IR Spectrometer, one Bruker Optics Tensor 27 hunk of plastic, metal, and rather toxic pieces parts. For reasons only known to the Department of Energy...
  39. RaulTheUCSCSlug

    I CMA (Cylindrical Mirror Analyzer)

    I'm supposed to be working with a CMA (Cylindrical Mirror Analyzer), but I'm more interested in the physics behind it. This is the instrument in question that we are looking to get: http://www.rbdinstruments.com/products/micro-cma.html We want it to look at different eV levels of different...
  40. verzix

    How Can I Make a Molecular Scanner to Determine Medicine Composition?

    good morning everyone. Please, I shall like knowing how to make a molecular scanner. To determine the composition of medicine
  41. sampanna pahi

    I Requirement of two vernier scales in a spectrometer?

    How does the precision of spectrometer get affected by the presence of two vernier scale
  42. Oribe Yasuna

    Circular Motion in a Simple Mass Spectrometer

    Homework Statement In the simple mass spectrometer shown in the figure below, positive ions are generated in the ion source. They are released, traveling at very low speed, into the region between two accelerating plates between which there is a potential difference ΔV. In the shaded region...
  43. D

    How can you make your own spectrometer?

    Here is a fun experiment where kids can make their own spectrometer. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~zhuxj/astro/html/spectrometer.html
  44. A

    Mass Spectrometer - Find Radial Separation of 58Ni+ & 60Ni+

    Homework Statement In a mass spectrometer, singly charged 58Ni+ (mass, m= 9.26 × 10-26 kg), and 60Ni+ (mass, m= 9.58 × 10-26 kg) ions pass through a velocity selector (with crossed electric and magnetic fields, E = 2 × 105 N/C and B=3000 G) and then enter a chamber of uniform magnetic field B...
  45. J

    Estimate diffraction angle - homemade spectrometer

    Homework Statement Estimate the diffraction angle. The spectrometer is made from rolling up a 30cm long piece of cardboard into a tube. Duct tape is placed over one end, and a thin slit is made. The other end has a diffraction grating held in place. I look through the diffraction grating and...
  46. Padrepapp

    How to convert the intensity of light of a star

    If you take the spectra of a star you usually have a big primary mirror (lets say 1m) to get a lot of light, and use an exposure time usually several tens of minutes. Can one use an astronomical spectrograph for a led/arclamp light source? How does the light intensity of a star compares to...
  47. ShayanJ

    How a pair spectrometer works?

    I need to know how a pair spectrometer works but I can't find a book that explains it in detail. They say that it has three crystals located in a line and the beam is collimated on the central crystal and somehow this signal is only analyzed when there are simultaneous signals from the other two...
  48. K

    I with an old VGA Smart-IQ+ Mass spectrometer

    I work at a university and we recently had an XPS donated with a mass spec attachment. It is an older instrument that we would love to get working due to the high resolution detector and in situ reduction chamber. We are having issues getting the mass spec to communicate with the gassworks...
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