Mercury-Argon Source produces drift-free results.
Press Release Summary:
Measuring 125.7 x 70 x 25.8 mm, HG-1 enables users to perform wavelength calibrations of diode-array spectrophotometers and post-dispersive monochromators. Handheld unit produces fixed, low-pressure mercury and argon atomic emission lines from 253-1,700 nm (mercury less than 600 nm and argon greater than 600 nm). It has 3,500 hr lifetime bulb and produces stable intensity in ~1 min. Source comes with 12 Vdc power supply and can operate with 9 Vdc battery.
Original Press Release:
With Drift-free Mercury-Argon Source, Users Can Easily Calibrate the Wavelength of Any Diode-array Spectrophotometer
Dunedin, Fla., February 2005 - Now available from Ocean Optics is the HG-1, a low-power, drift-free mercury argon source that enables users to perform fast, reliable wavelength calibrations of diode-array spectrophotometers and post-dispersive monochromators. Available for just $399, The HG-1 produces fixed, low-pressure mercury and argon atomic emission lines from 253-1700 nm. The handheld source, about the size of a cellular phone, is just 125.7 mm x 70 mm x 25.8 mm and weighs just 40 g.
The HG-1 produces atomic emission lines, mercury <600 nm and argon >600 nm, with no drift, as the laws of quantum mechanics govern all atomic emissions. The mercury and argon spectral emission lines are printed on the HG1's housing for convenient reference.
All optical benches realize modest drifts in wavelength due to time and environmental factors. The HG-1 is especially useful for creating calibration spectra that can be included with every experiment where wavelength accuracy is of importance.
The HG-1 connects easily to any fiber-based instrument via an SMA 905- terminated optical fiber. For free-beam instruments, the HG-1 can be connected to a special adapter, the PS-HG1-ADP, to project light into a 1-cm square cuvette holder.
The PS-HG1-ADP Cuvette Wavelength Adapter is a fixture that fits into a standard 1-cm square cuvette holder. An optical fiber connects the PS-HG1- ADP to the HG-1 Source. The light in the fixture is redirected into the receiving optics of the spectrophotometer, thus eliminating the need for temperature-sensitive glass calibration filters. The PS-HG1-ADP is $259.
The HG-1 has a 3,500-hour lifetime bulb and produces stable intensity in approximately 1 minute. The source comes with a 12 VDC power supply, but will operate with a 9 VDC battery (not included) for portable use. When used with an Ocean Optics CCD-array spectrometer, the HG-1 calibration procedure can be performed in minutes, with no special software - all users need is a spreadsheet program or a calculator that performs third-order polynomial regressions.
Ocean Optics also offers a wavelength calibration source for NIR spectrometers. The AR-1 Argon Calibration Source produces drift-free argon atomic emission lines from 696-1705 nm, and is available for $399.
For more information, contact Ocean Optics, Inc., 830 Douglas Ave., Dunedin, FL 34698, 727.733.2447, fax 727.733.3962, Info@OceanOptics.com. Or visit our Web site at OceanOptics.com.
Ocean Optics is a leading supplier of solutions for optical sensing - fundamental methods of measuring and interpreting the interaction of light with matter. We enable diverse applications in medical and biological research, environmental monitoring, science education, and entertainment lighting and display. Our extensive line of complementary technologies includes spectrometers, chemical sensors, metrology instrumentation, optical fibers, and thin films and optics. Recognized as the inventor of miniature fiber optic spectroscopy, we've sold more than 50,000 spectrometers worldwide since 1989. Ocean Optics is part of the Halma Group of safety and detection companies, a United Kingdom-based multinational corporation with 2003 sales of nearly $550 million.
