Continuous wave measurements

Because diode lasers are compact and inexpensive, several units can be integrated and run simultaneously in a single spectrometer. Such parallel operation is necessary for simultaneous determinations of different species, because even if a single diode can be tuned to the analytical lines of various species, temperature tuning is too slow for many analytical applications. In addition, the duty cycle of a continuous-wave measurement is seriously reduced if several species must be measured sequentially with a single diode laser. 

Adequate proton NMR spectra can be obtained by continuous wave measurements however, routine spectra could not be obtained until the development of Fourier transform spectrometers which allow one to accumulate a large number of spectra in a relatively short period of time and to average these spectra to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the measurements. 

In this approach one uses narrow-band continuous wave (cw) lasers for continuous spectroscopic detection of reactant and product species with high time and frequency resolution. Figure B2.5.11 shows an experimental scheme using detection lasers with a 1 MFIz bandwidth. Thus, one can measure the energy spectrum of reaction products with very high energy resolution. In practice, today one can achieve an uncertainty-limited resolution given by... 

C60 has been used to produce solvent-cast and LB films with interesting photoelec-trochemical behavior. A study of solvent-cast films of C60 on Pt rotating disc electrodes (RDEs) under various illumination conditions was reported [284]. Iodide was used as the solution-phase rednctant. The open-circuit potential shifted by 74 mV per decade of illumination intensity from a continuous wave (cw) argon-ion laser. The photocurrent versus power was measured at -0.26 V under chopped illumination (14-Hz frequency, vs. SCE) up to 30 mW cm and was close to linear. The photoexcitation spectrum (photocurrent versus wavelength) was measured at 0.02 V (vs. SCE) from 400 to 800 mn and found to be... 

Greatly enhanced sensitivity with very short measuring time is the major advantage of PFT (pulse Fourier transform) experiments. In the CW (continuous wave) experiment, the radiofrequency sweep excites nuclei of different Larmor frequencies, one by one. For example, 500 s may be required for excitation over a 1-KHz range, while in a PFT experiment a single pulse can simultaneously excite the nuclei over 1-KHz range in only 250 jits. The PFT experiment therefore requires much less time than the CW NMR experiment, due to the short time required for acquisition of FID signals. Short-lived unstable molecules can only be studied by PFT NMR. 

Hyun et al. [345] prepared PbS Q-dots in a suspension and tethered them to Ti02 nanoparticles with a bifunctional thiol-carboxyl linker molecule. Strong size dependence due to quantum confinement was inferred from cyclic voltammetry measurements, for the electron affinity and ionization potential of the attached Q-dots. On the basis of the measured energy levels, the authors claimed that pho-toexcited electrons should transfer efficiently from PbS into T1O2 only for dot diameters below 4.3 nm. Continuous-wave fluorescence spectra and fluorescence transients of the PbS/Ti02 assembly were consistent with electron transfer from small Q-dots. The measured charge transfer time was surprisingly slow ( 100 ns). Implications of this fact for future photovoltaics were discussed, while initial results from as-fabricated sensitized solar cells were presented. 

Johnson SG, Fearey BL (1993) Spectroscopic study of thorium using continuous-wave resonance ionization mass-spectrometry with rrltraviolet ionization. Spectrochim Acta Part B 48 1065-1077 Knoll GF (1989) Radiation Detection and Measurement. J. Wiley and Sons, New York Kuss HM (1992) Applications of microwave digestion technique for elemental analyses. Fresenins J Anal Chem 343 788-793... 

So far, we have shown where the signal comes from, but how do we measure it There are two main technologies continuous wave (CW) and pulsed Fourier transform (FT). CW is the technology used in older systems and is becoming hard to find these days. (We only include it for the sake of historical context and because it is perhaps the easier technology to explain). FT systems offer many advantages over CW and they are used for all high field instruments. 

Such measurement provides the magnitude of birefringence, but not its sign. In addition, identical transmission values will be observed for multiple birefringence orders, that is, whenever the optical path difference, dAn, becomes a multiple of X. The main interest of this method arises from its excellent time resolution, below 1 ms, that is readily achieved using a low-power (e.g., 5 mW) continuous-wave laser and a photodiode. If the sample is initially isotropic, it is possible to follow the birefringence order to obtain quantitative results. For improved accuracy, a second (reference) photodiode or a beam chopper and a lock-in amplifier can be used. 

Frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar is most commonly used to measure range R and range (radial) velocity of a target [42, 43]. The most common structure of a homodyne FMCW radar is presented in Figure 2. 

To meet all these system requirements specific waveform design techniques must be considered. For ACC systems both radar types of classical pulse waveform with ultra short pulse length (10 ns) or alternatively continuous wave (CW) transmit signal with a bandwidth of 150 MHz are considered. The main advantage of CW systems in comparison with classical pulse waveforms is the low measurement time and low computational complexity. 

Fourier transform spectroscopy technology is widely used in infrared spectroscopy. A spectrum that formerly required 15 min to obtain on a continuous wave instrument can be obtained in a few seconds on an FT-IR. This greatly increases research and analytical productivity. In addition to increased productivity, the FT-IR instrument can use a concept called Fleggetts Advantage where the entire spectrum is determined in the same time it takes a continuous wave (CW) device to measure a small fraction of the spectrum. Therefore many spectra can be obtained in the same time as one CW spectrum. If these spectra are summed, the signal-to-noise ratio, S/N can be greatly increased. Finally, because of the inherent computer-based nature of the FT-IR system, databases of infrared spectra are easily searched for matching or similar compounds. 

Instrumentation and methods currently available provide limited means for realtime measurements of the continuous wave (CW) and transient characteristics of luminescent substances. The measurement, in real time, of the spatial distribution of a parameter of interests, for instance, in cells and in tissue cannot be attained with present technology. Optical fibers are used to monitor the response of a sensor in limited regions in space. 

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