A SIMPLE, COST EFFECTIVE RAMAN-FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETER FOR USE IN LABORATORY AND FIELD EXPERIMENTS

Abstract

begin{wrapfigure}{r}{0pt} includegraphics[scale=0.4]{lowcostraman.eps} end{wrapfigure} Research, design, construction, and operation of a portable mixed Raman and Fluorescence type spectrometer implemented by the Missouri University of Science and Technology�s Mars Rover Design Team will be presented. This spectrometer has been built for the team�s annual competition. The spectrometer, completely built by undergraduates, is designed to use a 50 mW, 532 nm constant waveform laser to probe a sample of soil to find bacteria or bio-markers. However, initial tests of the spectrometer were carried out in a laboratory environment making the spectrometer also suitable for simple undergraduate physical chemistry or chemical physics laboratory experiments. The final cost of the device is roughly $2100, weighs 1.4 kg, and is 22.9 cm x 22.6 cm in size. Integrating the spectrometer with a computer database, results from the competition, complications of fitting mixed Raman-Fluorescence spectra, and future ideas/improvements will also be discussed.