Undergrad Studying the air layer over a solid object

[hagopbul]

TL;DR

studying thin film of gas mixture

Hello all :

i was wondering is it possible to study the air layer over a solid object at the interface ? using spectroscopic methods ? for example density ?

 

[jrmichler]

Short anwer: Yes.

Longer answer: Study for what? Velocity profile of moving air, temperature profile if the surface is different temperature, chemical profile if the surface is absorbing/emitting a gas (evaporating water?), plasma composition if the surface is really hot, pressure wave profile if the surface is vibrating, some combination of the above, what?

 

[sophiecentaur]

How thick is the interface layer of interest? Is there some sort of gradient of temperature or gas concentration?
AS @jrmichler says - we need to know more about this.

 

[Dr_Nate]

The others are quite right. We definitely need to know more about what you want to do. I think you could start your education with these terms for gases: infrared spectroscopy and bond vibrations, and Beer's law. You'll also need to know about the reflectivity or transmitivity as a function of frequency for the surface you are working with.

 

[hagopbul]

hello again this is some thing i was wondering about as a side project one day in the future , as a way to study the humidity of the soil (evaporating water?) , i can't concentrate on it now but just taking note for future or to pass it to some expert in the field if it is meaningful

i know we can use it for solid substrate , but what about soil with its different properties

thank you all
H.B.

 

[jrmichler]

If you want to study evaporation from soil, and especially if you intend to talk to experts in the field, first read (study would be better) this book by Brutsaert: https://www.amazon.com/dp/9027712476/?tag=pfamazon01-20. It is THE book on the subject.

Then follow that by reading this paper about the eddy covariance method of estimating evaporation: https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/ja/ja_sun022.pdf.

Evaporation from open water is a little simpler. This paper by John Lenters et. al. is a good place to start: https://www.academia.edu/4981223/Ef...tudy_of_Sparkling_Lake_northern_Wisconsin_USA.

And a lower cost method of measuring evaporation from open water: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335029148_A_low-cost_hydrologic_observatory_for_monitoring_the_water_balance_of_small_lakes. I, of course, like this paper.