Theory and Reduction of Artifacts in Incident, Scattered, and Dual Circular Polarization Forms of Raman Optical Activity

Abstract

A simplified Stokes-Mueller theory of the dominant artifacts encountered in the measurement of incident (ICP), scattered (SCP), and dual (DCP) circular polarization (CP) Raman optical activity (ROA) is presented for forward, right-angle and backward-scattering geometries. Sources of common artifacts in CP ROA measurements are identified, and examples of artifacts in spectra are presented. Procedures are given for the elimination or significant reduction of ROA artifacts.