On the following pages you can find informations concerning the technologies applied in our products.
Laser Spectroscopy
Laser spectroscopy allows the chemical analysis of a material by use of laser light. Often this technique predominates traditional analytic methods, because measurements with light usually perform fast, non-contact and without the need of sample preparations. Analysis can be done "online, onsite and insitu".
The choice of a spectroscopic methode depends on considerations about selectivity (ability to distinguish between different species) and sensitivity (how faint an input signal can be successfully recognized). Furthermore general application conditions like size, costs and complexity have to be taken into a acount.
Absorption Spectroscopy
Laser spectroscopies underlying principle can by explained with the concept of absorption spectroscopy. A monochromatic laser beam (a laser beam with exactly one color) penetrates the medium to analyze and strikes a detector afterwards.
If the laser wavelength is varied, different materials showing spectral ranges with higher and lower transparency, the so-called absorption lines.
The position of the absorption lines is characteristic for a particular material. The strength of the absorption indicates the concentration of the medium to proof. A special case of absorption spectroscopy is the evanescent field spectroscopy.
Atomic emission spectroscopy (AES)
To perform emission spectroscopy the medium to analyze is brought to an exited energetic state. After a short time the system relaxes by emitting electromagnetic radiation. Energy and thus wavelength of this radiation depends on the material. With spectral analyses the material can be identified.
At sufficient strong excitation ionization of atoms and molecules occurs. During relaxation between unbound states (1) or between unbound und bound states (2) no line spectra will be emitted, however, on transition between bounded states (3) they will. The spectral analysis gives conclusions about the medium and its concentration in the sample. If a high energetic laser beam is applied to ionize the sample, one speaks of Laser Induced Plasma Spectroscopy or Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS).
