A shift in spectroscopy

摘要

Spectroscopic measurement of the energy absorbed or emitted by an object is an invaluable experimental technique. An innovative approach opens the door to the acquisition of previously inaccessible data. For researchers across the sciences, spectroscopy is the main tool for uncovering the energetic structure of their object of study. These data in turn provide a range of information about the object. The idea is that some quantity or other can be characterized as a function of the frequency of radiation that the object absorbs or emits. Typically, the objects of interest, be they nuclei of complex molecules for study by nuclear magnetic resonance or electrons of unknown substances for optical spectroscopy, are probed by weak electromagnetic radiation over a range of frequencies. The objects response - its absorption of the signal or creation of new radiation - usually leads to a sequence of peaks in frequency (v) called a line spectrum.