UV-Vis-NIR Spectroscopy Lab

Welcome to the Open University’s UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy laboratory (SP4PS). 

The UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy laboratory is based in the School of Physical Sciences at the Open University. It was developed in 2023 to support planetary scientists in measuring the UV-Vis-NIR wavelength of powdered samples for comparison to asteroids. 

SP4PS is equipped with a JASCO MSV-5700 UV-Vis-NIR microspectrophotometer (MSP) fitted with a Cassegrain objective lens with a magnification of 16x and a variable aperture with a maximum aperture of 400 µm and a minimum of 100 µm. The MSP has two separate light sources (deuterium and tungsten; sources switched at 340 nm) and diffraction gratings (200 – 840 nm and 840 – 2500 nm), giving a continuous spectral range of 200 – 2500 nm. A scan speed of 200 nm/min at an interval of 0.5 nm is used for investigations. Viewing geometry is such that the incidence and exit angles of the light are perpendicular to the sample (equivalent to a phase angle of 0 degrees). All spectra are reported relative to a Spectralon standard, smoothed, and normalized to 0.55 µm.

Even with a small aperture (400 µm) and very little material, we can produce high-quality spectral analyses of a given sample, as demonstrated by our comparisons with previously published datasets.