Detector, atomic spectrometer construction

The general construction of an atomic absorption spectrometer, which need not be at all complicated, is shown schematically in Fig. 1. The most important components are the light source (A), which emits the characteristic narrow-line spectrum of the element of interest an absorption cell or atom reservoir in which the atoms of the sample to be analysed are formed by thermal molecular dissociation, most commonly by a flame (B) a monochromator (C) for the spectral dispersion of the light into its component wavelengths with an exit slit of variable width to permit selection and isolation of the analytical wavelength a photomultiplier detector (D) whose function it is to convert photons of light into an electrical signal which may be amplified (E) and eventually displayed to the operator on the instruments readout, (F). 

Figure 3 Principle of construction of atomic absorption spectrometers. (A) Single-beam spectrometer with electrically modulated lamp radiation (B) double-beam spectrometer with reflection and splitting of the primary radiation by a rotating, partially mirrored quartz disk (chopper). 1 - radiation source, 2 -sample cell (atomizer), 3 - monochromator, 4 - detector, 5 -electronics and readout (by permission of Wiley-VCH from Welz B and Sperling M (1999) Atomic Absorption Spectrometry, 3rd, completely revised edition. Weinheim Wiley-VCH).

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