Question

Explain the foundation of atomic absorption spectrum, using your words, in two to three sentences. Then explain how it relates to the basic concepts of photon-matter interactions.

Answer 1

Atomic absorption methods measure the amount of energy (in the form of photons of light, and thus a change in the wavelength) absorbed by the sample. Specifically, a detector measures the wavelengths of light transmitted by the sample (the "after" wavelengths), and compares them to the wavelengths, which originally passed through the sample (the "before" wavelengths). A signal processor then integrates the changes in wavelength, which appear in the readout as peaks of energy absorption at discrete wavelengths.