Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026
13:59
Reduced-gravity Environment Hardware Demonstrations of a Prototype Miniaturized Flow Cytometer and Companion Microfluidic Mixing Technology
Published on: November 13, 2014
Programmable tilting filter spectrometer for studying gravity waves in the upper atmosphere
Applied Optics
|May 22, 2010
Summary
A new microcomputer-controlled spectrometer measures airglow rotational temperatures using OH and O2 bands. This cost-effective instrument offers real-time analysis and accurate results consistent with existing literature.
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric Physics
- Spectroscopy
- Geophysics
Background:
- Airglow emissions provide insights into upper atmospheric conditions.
- Measuring rotational temperatures is crucial for understanding atmospheric dynamics.
- Existing methods can be complex and costly.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a novel microcomputer-controlled tilting filter spectrometer.
- To evaluate the instrument's performance and cost-effectiveness.
- To present a fast, real-time method for rotational temperature determination.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a tilting filter spectrometer controlled by a microcomputer.
- Focused on measuring the hydroxyl (OH) (6-2) and molecular oxygen (O2) (0-1) airglow bands near 850 nm.
- Developed and implemented a rapid algorithm for real-time temperature calculation.
Main Results:
- The microcomputer control offers significant benefits at a low cost.
- The developed method allows for fast, real-time rotational temperature determination.
- Initial measurements align well with established literature values, validating the instrument's accuracy.
Conclusions:
- The described spectrometer is a cost-effective and accurate tool for airglow temperature measurements.
- Microcomputer control enhances performance and simplifies operation.
- The real-time analysis capability opens possibilities for dynamic atmospheric studies.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Instrumentation
Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is the common plasma source used in atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), a technique that detects and analyzes various elements in a sample. This method is often called inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES).
There are three main types of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) instruments: sequential, simultaneous multichannel, and Fourier transform instruments, with the latter being less commonly used.
There are three main types of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) instruments: sequential, simultaneous multichannel, and Fourier transform instruments, with the latter being less commonly used.
01:14UV–Vis Spectrometers
The absorbance of UV and visible (UV–visible) radiations is measured using a UV–visible spectrophotometer. Deuterium lamps, which emit UV radiation, and tungsten lamps, which produce radiation in the visible region, are used as light sources in UV–visible spectrophotometers. A monochromator or prism is used for diffraction grating, i.e., to split the incoming radiation into different wavelengths. A system of slits is used to focus the desired wavelength on the sample cell. Samples for...
01:22Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Instrumentation
An atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) comprises several components: a radiation source, an atomizer, a monochromator, and a detector. The radiation source can be a hollow-cathode lamp (HCL) or an electrodeless-discharge lamp (EDL), both of which provide a narrow emission line of the required wavelength. However, some instruments use continuum sources and high-resolution monochromators to achieve a narrow range of radiation.
The atomizer used in AAS can be either a flame atomizer or an...
The atomizer used in AAS can be either a flame atomizer or an...
01:25IR Spectrometers
There are two main infrared (IR) spectrophotometers: dispersive IR spectrometers and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers. In a dispersive IR spectrometer, a beam of infrared radiation produced by a hot wire is divided into two parallel equal-intensity beams using mirrors. One beam passes through the sample, while another is a reference beam. The beams then move through the monochromator, which separates the radiations into a continuous spectrum of different frequencies. The...
01:26Influence of Earth's Curvature and Atmospheric Refraction on Leveling
During leveling, the Earth's curvature and atmospheric refraction introduce deviations in the line of sight from a true horizontal reference. When the line of sight is leveled, it remains perpendicular to the plumb line only at a single point. Beyond this, it deviates due to the Earth’s curvature, represented by the correction C. For a sight distance D, the deviation can be derived using the relationship:This relationship shows that the deviation increases quadratically with distance. Over a...
01:03Precipitation Gravimetry
Precipitation gravimetry is based on converting an analyte into a sparingly soluble precipitate, which is separated by filtration and weighed. An ideal precipitate should be pure, insoluble, of known composition, and easily filtered from the reaction mixture.
In determining nickel by gravimetric analysis, a precipitant of ethanolic dimethylglyoxime is added to a hot nickel salt solution. This is quickly followed by the dropwise addition of dilute ammonia solution until precipitation occurs. A...
In determining nickel by gravimetric analysis, a precipitant of ethanolic dimethylglyoxime is added to a hot nickel salt solution. This is quickly followed by the dropwise addition of dilute ammonia solution until precipitation occurs. A...