WANI Dictionary

Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy is a field or a method of analyzing electromagnetic waves arrayed in a specific order (spectrum, spectra in plural), usually according to wavelength or frequency.

Spectroscopy is a broad field that can be classified depending on the type of electromagnetic waves (e.g., microwave, infrares, x-ray), nature of interaction (e.g., absorption or emission), and target materials (e.g., atoms, molecules, nuclei). Common techniques known as spectroscopy include optical, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and Raman.

Definitions in the literature

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• The study of physical systems by the electromagnetic radiation with which they interact or that they produce. Spectrometry is the measurement of such radiations as a means of obtaining information about the systems and their components. In certain types of optical spectroscopy, the radiation originates from an external source and is modified by the system, whereas in other types, the radiation originates within the system itself [2].
• The study of methods of producing and analysing spectra using spectroscopes and other instruments [1].