microscopyspectroscopy

Microspectroscopy, sometimes written microscopyspectroscopy, refers to a family of analytical techniques that combine optical microscopy with spectroscopy to obtain spectral information from samples with micrometer or submicrometer spatial resolution. In microspectroscopy, light is delivered and collected by a microscope objective, and the resulting signal is dispersed or analyzed spectrally to produce chemical or structural information tied to small regions of the sample.

Prominent modalities include Raman micro-spectroscopy, infrared (IR) micro-spectroscopy, and fluorescence-based microspectroscopy. Raman micro-spectroscopy detects inelastic scattering from molecular vibrations; FTIR micro-spectroscopy measures infrared absorption with focal plane array detectors for chemical mapping; fluorescence microspectroscopy analyzes emission spectra or lifetimes of fluorophores.

Instrumentation typically combines a microscope with a spectrograph or dispersive element, a light source (laser or broadband), and a sensitive detector such as a CCD or InGaAs array. Hyperspectral implementations capture a spectrum for each image pixel, producing a three-dimensional data cube.

Applications span materials science, biology, geology, and pharmaceuticals, including mapping chemical composition, identifying minerals, analyzing biomolecular structure in cells, and quality control in manufacturing.

Advantages include high spatial resolution and rich chemical information; limitations include weak signals, potential sample damage from illumination, and complexity of data analysis. Infrared microspectroscopy may require specialized sample preparation due to water absorption and limited penetration depth.