Ramanspektreissä

Ramanspektreissä, often referred to as Raman spectra, are a phenomenon observed in Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive chemical analysis technique that provides detailed information about the vibrational, rotational, and other low-frequency modes of a system. When light, typically from a laser, interacts with a sample, most of the light is scattered elastically (Rayleigh scattering), meaning it has the same energy and wavelength as the incident light. However, a small fraction of the light undergoes inelastic scattering, known as Raman scattering. In Raman scattering, the scattered light has a different energy (and thus wavelength) than the incident light. The energy difference corresponds to the vibrational or rotational energy levels of the molecules in the sample.

A Raman spectrum is a plot of the intensity of Raman scattered light against the Raman shift, which is the difference in wavenumber (typically expressed in cm⁻¹) between the incident laser light and the scattered light. This spectrum acts as a unique "fingerprint" for the substance being analyzed. Different molecules will have distinct sets of vibrational and rotational modes, leading to unique patterns of peaks in their Raman spectra. By analyzing the positions, intensities, and shapes of these peaks, chemists and physicists can identify unknown compounds, study molecular structure and dynamics, and determine the composition of mixtures. The technique is widely used in fields such as chemistry, physics, materials science, pharmaceuticals, and forensics due to its ability to provide specific molecular information.