Fourier transform infrared spectrometer for a single aerosol particle

A spectrometer is reported here for obtaining the infrared spectrum of a single aqueous aerosol particle by a Fourier transform technique. The particle is held in an electrodynamic balance and irradiated simultaneously by the infrared output from a Michelson interferometer and the visible light from a dye laser. The size of the particle is modulated by chopping the IR beam, and the resulting visible scattered light fluctuation is detected at 90° with a photomultiplier tube. The amplitude of the scattered light fluctuation is measured with a lock-in amplifier at each interferometer mirror position. The electronic circuitry for stepping the interferometer mirror is presented and discussed. Inverting the lock-in signal by a discrete fast Fourier transform routine (FFT) yields the particle absorption spectrum. The resulting spectrum for an (NH4)2SO4 droplet is presented

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of a single aerosol particle

A method is developed for obtaining the molecular composition of a single suspended microparticle by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The particle is held in an electrodynamic balance and irradiated simultaneously by the infrared output from a Michelson interferometer and the visible light from a dye laser. The laser is tuned to an edge of an optical resonance of the particle while the IR beam is chopped. Through evaporation and condensation the chopped IR beam causes a size modulation of the droplet, which in turn induces a fluctuation in the laser light scattered from the particle. The scattered light is detected at 90° with a photomultiplier, and the amplitude of the light fluctuation is measured with a lock-in amplifier. The lock-in signal is then inverted by a discrete fast Fourier transform routine (FFT), to yield the particle absorption spectrum. Spectra of (NH4)2SO4 droplets at different solute concentrations are presented. The data shown include the first infrared spectrum of a highly supersaturated solution

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy of a Single Aerosol Particle

Throughout this thesis, the phenomenon of radiation-induced particle size change is studied both on a theoretical as well as experimental level. The thrust of this study is aimed at using the size changes due to heat absorption to develop a technique for obtaining the particle chemical composition. The experiments here involve charged particles, generated with an impulse jet, and trapped by the electric field of an electrodynamic balance. The particles under study are all aqueous solutions of non-volatile salts, where upon heating a partial evaporation of water occurs. The evaporation and subsequent condensation processes are modeled in both the continuum and the transition regimes. The models developed are tested and the agreement between theory and experimental results is demonstrated. The models are also used to extract the values of the water, thermal, and mass accommodation coefficients from the data. The results for the thermal accommodation show that its value is near unity, however the corresponding results for the mass accommodation are not conclusive. A method is developed for obtaining the molecular composition of a single suspended microparticle by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The particle is irradiated simultaneously by the infrared output from a Michelson interferometer and the visible light from a dye laser. The laser is tuned to an edge of an optical resonance of the particle while the IR beam is chopped. Through evaporation and condensation the chopped IR beam causes a size modulation of the droplet, which in turn induces a fluctuation in the laser light scattered from the particle. The scattered light is detected at 90° with a photomultiplier, and the amplitude of the light fluctuation is measured with a lock-in amplifier. The lock-in signal is then inverted by a discrete fast Fourier transform routine (FFT), to yield the particle absorption spectrum. Spectra of (NH4)2SO4 droplets at different solute concentrations are presented.</p