CE 540

Spring 2007

Spectroscopy Section

9 January – 27 February 2007

 

CE 540 is divided into two sections:

ˇ          the first half of the course (George Mount) will cover atmospheric applications of spectroscopic instrumentation

ˇ          the second half of the course (Tom Jobson) will cover atmospheric applications of chromatography and mass spectrometry techniques.

 

The purpose of the first section of the class is to familiarize you with spectroscopic instrumentation for air concentration measurements.  We will begin with a discussion of spectrographs and how they work and then move to specific techniques for measurement (LiF, TDL, FTIR, DOAS, etc).  I will have lab demos as often as I can; you should be sure to ask lots of questions during those demos so you understand what is going on.  Donšt  let anything slide by in class or lab that is not clear – bug me until it is clear!

 

Since there is no text book for the class;  journal papers will be placed on the department CE 540 website during the semester and you are expected to read them.  Some are very long, so you can cruise over the parts that are not of great interest.  Quizzes will cover the reading material.

 

There will be homework in the class. 

 

You are required to write a term paper/project on a subject of your choice, approved by either Dr. Mount or Dr. Jobson;  one project for either but not both sections of the 540 class – a single class project.  You will be asked to make a 20 minute presentation on your project at the end of April.  The presentation and writeup must include some scientific/mathematical and/or experimental analysis of whatever you do.

 

There will be one exam in the first section and it will be given at a mutually agreeable time at the end of the spectroscopy section, not during a class period (time is too short).

 

Grades:

Each half of the course of equal weight.  The term paper will account for 20% of the total class grade and the presentation 20% of the total class grade for a total of 40% of the total class grade.

 

Spectroscopy and chromatography (each 30% of class grade):

ˇ          15% exam

ˇ          15% homework and quizzes

 

Schedule:

 

9 - 23 January 2007

basic concepts and spectroscopic instruments, lab demonstrations

ˇ          spectra – atomic and molecular

o        some basic physics

o        effects of resolution

ˇ          basic types of spectroscopic instruments

o        grating systems

o        prism systems

o        interferometer systems

o        laser systems

                                    spectrometers

ˇ          basic design of a grating system

ˇ          parts

o        slit

o        collimator

o        disperser

o        camera

o        focal plane

o        classical vs holographic gratings

ˇ          parameters

o        dispersion

o        resolving power

o        throughput

o        polarization

o        free spectral range and bandwidth, overlapping orders

ˇ          mountings

ˇ          choice of instrument

 

25 January

detectors

 

30 January

lab show and tell - spectrographs

 

1 - 6 February

DOAS = differential optical absorption spectroscopy

 

8, 15 February

LIF = laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy

 

15, 20 February

TDL = tunable diode laser spectroscopy

 

22, 27 February            

FTS = Fourier Transform Spectroscopy

 

air section exam

 

1 – 22 March

Chromatography

ˇ          General principles and applications to atmospheric measurements

o        GC = gas chromatography

o        HPLC = high performance liquid chromatography

o        IC = ion chromatography

ˇ          GC detectors and trace gas analysis methods

 

27 March – 19 April

Mass spectrometry

ˇ          General principles and ionization methods

ˇ          Mass spectrometer designs

o        Quadrupole

o        Ion trap

o        Time of flight

ˇ          Instrumentation for atmospheric measurements

o        PTR-MS = proton transfer reaction MS

o        AMS = aerosol mass spectrometer

o        SPLAT = single particle laser ablation ToF

 

Last week of April

                  Project results @ 20 min/student

                  Term paper due last day of class