ABSTRACT
T he successful accomplishment of an AUC experiment depends critically on properly acquired data and a detailed understanding of the optical detection
systems. This chapter will discuss different features of the optical detection systems most commonly used in analytical ultracentrifugation. The optimal design of signal acquisition requires a balance between the experimental concentration requirements and the optical properties of the macromolecules, solvent and co-solutes. In addition, the signal-to-noise ratio and different degrees of freedom in the acquired data for each optical system need to be considered, in the context of the methods used for the computational data analysis and the ability to extract the desired macromolecular parameters from the experiment.
