A History of Spectroscopy

Understanding the nature of light is a fundamental question that has troubled mankind since antiquity. It took a great deal of speculation and study concerning the formation of the rainbow to formulate the right hypotheses to explain the iridescence observed when white light passes through raindrops or pieces of glass. For a long time, ancient philosophers were far more interested in the propagation of the light than in its nature. A History of Spectroscopy retraces the major stages in the growth of the various spectroscopic methods from their origins, as well as the most recent advances and the hopes they raise for future technological progress. With its multidisciplinary aspects, it embodies a masterly and unique effort which has no equivalent in the published literature. The present contribution will be read with profit not only by students embarking on a career in physics in general and in spectroscopy or astrophysics more specifically, but also by students in many other related fields like chemistry, biology, medicine, pharmacy and engineering.

Key Features:

• The most extensive and detailed book on the history of spectroscopy.
• Covers a period of several centuries extending from Newton up to the present day.
• Discusses recent progress in different fields and subfields of physics and more specifically in the domain of the analysis of the light.

Emile Biémont is Honorary Research Director of the Belgian FNRS, Honorary professor of the University of Mons (Belgium) and Emeritus Member of the Royal Academy of Belgium. His fields of interest are atomic and molecular spectroscopy with applications in laser and plasma physics. In astrophysics, he has been involved in solar and stellar physics. Interested also by popularization of science, he has published more than 370 publications including 16 books.