The Spectrophotometer is an optical device that measures light intensityin relation to wavelength. The holographic grating separates theelectromagnetic energy gathered from the sample into its component wavelengthswhen it enters the device through the aperture (yellow line). To put it anotherway, the grating separates each colour from the white light. The split light isthen focussed into a CCD array detector, where each pixel measures the strengthof each wavelength (or colour if in the visible zone). After reading the CCDinto a computer, the outcome is a spectrum that shows the strength of eachwavelength of light.
A spectral measurement of the visiblerange, which humans perceive as colour, is an example. When white light entersthe monochromator, it is split into a rainbow of colours. This rainbow would becentred on the CCD, with blue light on one end and red light on the other. Theintensity of a colour would then be measured by each pixel of the CCD. As aresult, a spectrum like the one below would emerge. The blue pixels emit bluelight, the green pixels emit light in the green spectrum, and the red pixelsemit red light, as depicted Read more
