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A tremendous growth in the utilization of multichannel detectors for infrared (IR)
spectroscopy has been observed over the past decade. In some cases, the incorporation
of multichannel detectors has significantly changed the practice of IR
spectroscopy; while in others, it has provided new opportunities for spectroscopic
analyses. Since the underlying premise of spectroscopic analyses is to uncover
chemical information, we have devoted this volume to examining the new insights
and potential applications enabled by technology based on multichannel detectors.
Instead of focusing on the science and technology of detectors or of IR
spectroscopy, the chapters illustrate how these detectors are incorporated into spectroscopic
instrumentation, the varied numerical techniques required for data analysis
and the applications of multichannel-detector-enabled spectroscopy in a variety of
fields.
This compilation attempts to present the material in a manner that is accessible
to readers without extensive background in spectroscopy or of the applications,
yet the depth is sufficient to serve as a ready reference to seasoned practitioners
in the field. We have not covered in-depth some recently emerging instrumentation
and techniques that are likely to become more prevalent. The focus is, instead, on
technologies that are mature enough to provide practitioners the tools to undertake
spectrochemical analyses. Mindful that a compilation of this nature is always at
danger of becoming outdated soon, the contents of this volume seek to provide the
reader with an appreciation of the current state of the art as well as a perspective
that allows an appreciation of future developments. Multichannel detectors for spectroscopy
have moved rapidly from the laboratory to practical applications. Hence,
we have also attempted to balance contributions from the ‘laboratory’ and from
the ‘field’, providing a taste of both fundamental developments and ‘real-world’
applications to the reader.
The first section (Chapters 1–4) provides an overviewof instrumentation and data
analysis techniques that form the foundation for practical applications. Chapter 1
outlines the development and capabilities of microspectroscopy in the mid-IR spectral
region facilitated by multichannel detectors. Chapter 2 provides an overview of
technology for the near-IR region and the unique contribution of imaging to near-IR
spectral analyses. Utilization of a unique light source, the synchrotron, is discussed
in Chapter 3, which details the theoretical aspects of enhanced microscopy and
design considerations for future developments. A crucial bridge between instrumentation
and applications is the mathematical analysis of large mathematical
datasets. Chapter 4 presents several multivariate analysis techniques that are useful
for deriving information from datasets. |
