What is an Chromatic Aberration?

Mar 19, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Properties of Light, Spectrograph

Chromatic aberration is an aberration caused by dispersion. When a beam of light is transmitted through a lens, dispersion causes the wavelengths to focus at different focal points. The aberration can be corrected by adding other materials to essentially cancel out...

What is an Aberration?

Mar 19, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Properties of Light, Spectrograph

What is an Aberration? An aberration is an optical imperfection that causes an optical system to deviate from its ideal performance. In a perfect optical system, all light rays would be focused exactly where intended. In practice, lenses, mirrors, and other optical...

What is Wavelength (Spectral) Range?

Mar 19, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Spectrograph

The wavelength range (also called spectral range) is the range of wavelengths that each spectrometer can measure. StellarNet offers spectrometer options that cover a 190-2500nm wavelength range. Wavelength range is based on the spectrometers grating’s ability...

What is a Diffraction Grating?

Mar 19, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Spectrograph

Also called a grating for short, a diffraction grating is by far the most common dispersive element in spectrographs these days. As might be guessed, diffraction gratings work through diffraction. The gratings can be transmissive or reflective, but the principles are...

What is Dispersion (concept)?

Mar 19, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Spectrograph

Generally, dispersion is an effect that happens because the velocity of waves in a material depends on wavelength. This manifests in many different phenomenon, but only one is encountered on a regular basis: the index of refraction is dependent on wavelength. This...

What is a Spectrograph?

Mar 19, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Spectroscopy

What is a Spectrograph? A spectrograph is an optical device that separates light into its individual wavelengths, allowing the spectral content of a light source or sample to be analyzed. It is a key component of a spectrometer and is responsible for dispersing...