Sensitivity of a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer

Abstract

The theoretical sensitivity of a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer as measured by the signal/noise ratio of a 100% line is calculated. This theoretically expected sensitivity is shown to be in excellent agreement with experimental values observed for a particular spectrometer configuration. The experimental method used to quantify the performance level of the spectrometer may also be applied as a general systems test for Fourier transform infrared spectrometers.