ABSTRACT

Optical spectroscopy is an invaluable tool for the characterization of many physical and chemical

components and processes. As in so many other areas, where science or engineering can offer benefits,

nature has already evolved optical spectroscopy as a very useful tool. Our eyes are our primary sensing

means and cannot only determine the range of remote objects and observe their fine spatial details, but

they can also use spectroscopy to detect their colour, albeit with rather poor spectral resolution.

However, modern science can, using sophisticated hardware, determine far more than is possible with

simple visual inspection. It can provide much more complex and quantitative data and use it to

characterize, precisely, a wide variety of physical objects or chemical analytes. Instruments cannot only

achieve much higher spectral resolution, but can also cover a much wider wavelength range and, if

desired, even provide time-or distance-resolved results. A major advantage of optical methods of

analysis, is that they are usually non destructive and non invasive, and usually quick in operation.