Test & measurement


Spectrometer provides a big leap forward in interstellar research


The Smithsonian Institute has created a groundbreaking microwave spectrometer for research of interstellar materials.


Kelvin). The spectrometers generally either operate with high sensitivity over a very narrow bandwidth or a wide frequency with reduced sensitivity. Researchers at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have used a Spectrum Instrumentation digitiser card to create a next generation molecular spectrometer with both high resolution and high sensitivity that is capable of capturing sample data substantially faster. Brandon Carroll, a post doctoral fellow on the


M 50


project, explains: “The new design for cooling the sample chamber enables us to have a sampling rate much greater than the usual design, and do so over a wide bandwidth. We therefore needed a means to rapidly capture a large amount of data over a wide bandwidth. Some colleagues at the University of California in Davis recommended a Spectrum Instrumentation digitiser card. We chose an M4i.2230-x8 card as it has a huge amount of on-board memory, a bandwidth up to 1.5 GHz, and the ability to average extremely quickly. We looked at cards from other companies, but they were more expensive or did not meet our specifications as well as the Spectrum card did. Plus, it was really easy to integrate with our software to fully automate the data acquisition process unlike the others we considered.” Microwave spectroscopy is used to detect


molecules’ shape and structure, and this gives unique information about the changes that occur


A groundbreaking step forward: The new developed microwave spectrometer at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics


March 2022 Instrumentation Monthly


icrowave spectroscopy is a very powerful tool for discovering molecular structures and operates at very low temperatures near absolute zero (1 to 5


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