High-resolution fourier transform atomic spectrometry

Abstract

Fourier transform spectrometers (FTS) are compared quantitatively with scanning monochromators for atomic emission spectroscopy in the visible and ultraviolet regions with respect to spectral resolution and band width, light throughput, signal to noise ratio and accuracy. The advantages of the much higher resolution and the complete spectral record readily obtainable with an FTS are discussed. The different noise distributions of the two types of instrument and their signal to noise ratios for the limits of detector, photon or source noise are compared. The types of problem for which the FTS either is unsuitable or offers substantial advantages are summarised, and preliminary results on an ICP spectrum of molybdenum in the ultraviolet region are presented as an example of the latter.