Noise studies in ultraviolet-visible Fourier transform spectrometry: a simple computer simulation for the evaluation of the effectiveness of “ratio recording” for the compensation of source flicker noise

Abstract

An important impediment to the general acceptance of Fourier transform spectrometry in the UV spectral region is the effect of source photon and flicker noise on the interferometrically acquired spectrum, the so-called multiplex disadvantage. The effects of source flicker noise on the spectrum were investigated theoretically. A computer simulation was used to evaluate the effectiveness of “ratio recording” as a method of compensation for source flicker noise effects. This compensation was found to be effective in certain circumstances of analytical importance.