Back to our roots with laser spectroscopy
Laser Focus World magazine is all about "The World of Optoelectronics." As a testament to that, we publish the Optoelectronics World supplement several times a year to focus on a topic in optoelectronics of special interest to our readers. This year happens to be the 200th anniversary of the discovery of ultraviolet light by J. W. Ritter and W. H. Wollaston, one year before the detection of then-mysterious absorption lines. This special Optoelectronics World supplement on spectroscopy reminds us of how far the science has come: from simple determination of elements sifted into a candle flame, to rugged, field-ready modular systems with state-of-the-art detectors and femtosecond sources. With that in mind, this supplement defers to our "laser roots" with three features about the use of lasers in spectroscopy.
In the first article, Ken Bell of Big Sky Lasers (Bozeman, MT) discusses a spectroscopic technique for detection and measurement of elemental species in a variety of matrices: laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The LIBS technique uses a laser to generate a spark in a sample, which is analyzed using a spectrophotometer. Recent advances in fiberoptics have enabled LIBS to remotely monitor elements in blast furnaces and nuclear reactors. Bell compares LIBS to other spectroscopic techniques and reviews a multitude of interesting applications.
Several novel developments in instrumentation have recently transformed Raman spectroscopy into a powerful, real-time analytical tool for both research scientists and process engineers alike. Modular instrumentation, in particular, provides high performance, maximum versatility, and flexibility for the research environment. In the second article, Ian R. Lewis, and Kevin L. Davis of Kaiser Optical Systems Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI) describe how modular Raman spectroscopy is now used in a wide range of chemical, pharmaceutical, and biomedical applications.
Until recently, nonlinear spectroscopy has been limited to the wavelengths accessible by pulsed laser sources. With the advent of the tunable laser, and more recently, widely tunable optical parametric sources, the field has opened to researchers who are not "laser jocks." In the third feature, Eric Van Stryland of the University of Central Florida School of Optics/CREOL (Orlando, FL) discusses his research in nonlinear absorption and the associated nonlinear refraction using femtosecond optical parametric sources.
Valerie Coffey-Rosich | Contributing Editor
Valerie Coffey-Rosich is a freelance science and technology writer and editor and a contributing editor for Laser Focus World; she previously served as an Associate Technical Editor (2000-2003) and a Senior Technical Editor (2007-2008) for Laser Focus World.
Valerie holds a BS in physics from the University of Nevada, Reno, and an MA in astronomy from Boston University. She specializes in editing and writing about optics, photonics, astronomy, and physics in academic, reference, and business-to-business publications. In addition to Laser Focus World, her work has appeared online and in print for clients such as the American Institute of Physics, American Heritage Dictionary, BioPhotonics, Encyclopedia Britannica, EuroPhotonics, the Optical Society of America, Photonics Focus, Photonics Spectra, Sky & Telescope, and many others. She is based in Palm Springs, California.