Because each element leaves its spectral signature in the pattern of lines observed, a spectral analysis can reveal the composition of the object being analyzed. The light from a source can consist of a continuous spectrum, an emission spectrum (bright lines), or an absorption spectrum (dark lines). These spectrometers utilize the phenomenon of optical dispersion. Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy is an example. The different wavelengths of light are separated by refraction in a prism or by diffraction by a diffraction grating. Optical spectrometers (often simply called "spectrometers"), in particular, show the intensity of light as a function of wavelength or of frequency. Spectrum of light emitted by a deuterium lamp in the UV, visible and near infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. These types of spectrometers are used in chemical analysis and particle physics. Spectrometers are used in astronomy to analyze the chemical composition of stars and planets, and spectrometers gather data on the origin of the universe.Įxamples of spectrometers are devices that separate particles, atoms, and molecules by their mass, momentum, or energy. The capability of spectroscopy to determine chemical composition drove its advancement and continues to be one of its primary uses. Spectrometers were developed in early studies of physics, astronomy, and chemistry. The first spectrometers were used to split light into an array of separate colors. A mass spectrometer measures the spectrum of the masses of the atoms or molecules present in a gas. In visible light a spectrometer can separate white light and measure individual narrow bands of color, called a spectrum. Spectrometer is a broad term often used to describe instruments that measure a continuous variable of a phenomenon where the spectral components are somehow mixed. A spectrometer ( / s p ɛ k ˈ t r ɒ m ɪ t ər/) is a scientific instrument used to separate and measure spectral components of a physical phenomenon.