Spectrometers and accessories

Spectrometers are pieces of apparatus to measure the spectrum. Generally, the graph shows the intensity of light as a function of wavelength, frequency, energy, momentum or mass. They are categorised in terms of resolution; how well two-close lying energies can be resolved. The higher the resolution, the lower the intensity. There are a variety of spectrometers. The optical spectrometer measures the intensity of light as wavelength or frequency. Deflection is produced either by refraction in a prism or by diffraction in a grating. The mass spectrometer identifies the amount or type of chemicals in a sample by measuring mass-to-charge ratio and abundance of gas-phase ions. The time-of-flight spectrometer measures the velocity between two detectors. The magnetic spectrometer uses a constant magnetic field to deflect a fast-charged particle. There are a number of accessories available such as lenses, couplers, probes, fibre optic cables, cuvette holders and battery packs for greater mobility. Spectrometers have a wide range of applications. They are widely used for space observation and exploration. Also in hospitals, they can analyse respiratory gas while environmentalists use them to monitor oxygen levels in marine ecosystems. In food production processing they can detect traces of toxins and pesticides in very low concentrations.